Syrian driver sentenced to life in prison for killing Bulgarian police officers

The Burgas Appellate Court has increased the sentence of Syrian national Omar Adnan from 20 years to life imprisonment. The ruling follows a fatal incident four years ago where Adnan, driving a bus carrying 47 migrants, intentionally struck a police patrol car at high speed, resulting in the deaths of officers Atanas Gradev and Atanas Iliev.

While Adnan faces life in prison, legal experts and investigators have raised concerns regarding the leniency shown to the organizers of the human trafficking route. Masud Abdo, identified as a key figure in the smuggling operation, received only an 11-month suspended sentence, and another participant, Abdullah Abdullah, was sentenced to three years in prison.

The defense has appealed the life sentence to the Supreme Cassation Court, alleging political pressure from former Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev. Investigations into the incident also highlighted failures by authorities and border police in intercepting the vehicle before the tragedy occurred.