On April 25, 1988, the Supreme Court of the People's Republic of Bulgaria pronounced death sentences by firing squad for the three direct perpetrators of the attack at Bunovo station.
The convicted persons are members of the illegal organization "Turkish National Liberation Movement in Bulgaria".
These are Elin Madzharov (born Emin Mehmedali), Alcek Chakarov (born Abdullah Chakar) and Sava Georgiev (born Saafet Rejeb)
The case lasted 20 days, with evidence collected in over 200 volumes.
In addition to the explosion of Bunovo station (March 9, 1985), they were also convicted for the bombings at Varna airport and in Plovdiv.
The sentences were confirmed by the State Council and executed by firing squad later that year (September 1988).
Other participants received effective prison sentences, including Sevdalin Madzharov (Sabri Mehmedali), sentenced to 6 years in prison for aiding and abetting.
The bombing at Bunovo station remains the bloodiest railway terrorist act in Bulgarian history with 7 dead and 9 seriously injured.
The attack at Bunovo station was a direct and radical reaction against the so-called “Renaissance Process“ in Bulgaria.
In 1984-1985, the communist regime conducted a mass campaign to forcibly change Turkish-Arabic names to Bulgarian, ban the Turkish language, and restrict religious customs.
The goal of the perpetrators was to destabilize the state through terrorist acts and draw international attention to the repression against ethnic Turks in the country.
The perpetrators chose the “mothers with children“ carriage in order to cause the greatest possible psychological effect and public response. The bomb was supposed to explode in the “Galbets“ tunnel, where the victims would have been much more, but the delay on the train by two minutes leads to an explosion at the station itself.