Bulgaria Detains Iranian National on People Smuggling Charges

The district court in Elhovo, in southeastern Bulgaria, has granted a prosecutor's request to detain in police custody an Iranian national charged with the smuggling of 17 refugees across the border with Turkey, the chief prosecutor's office said on Friday.

Police arrested Hamed Mohammed on Tuesday morning in the village of Krainovo, Yambol Region, in southeastern Bulgaria after they stopped for inspection the BMW 318 hatchback he was driving and found five men, three women and nine children crammed into the car. Their nationality was not disclosed.

A criminal investigation is ongoing, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.