Overview
- The Paris Criminal Court imposed two- to four-year prison terms and lifetime entry bans, with alleged ringleader Mircho Angelov sentenced in absentia and still at large.
- The court said the operation was coordinated from abroad to stoke divisions, as prosecutors and intelligence services link it to a suspected Russian proxy campaign.
- Defendants Georgi Filipov and Kiril Milushev admitted being paid to paint and film the red hands, while Nikolay Ivanov denied involvement in the graffiti.
- Investigators relied on security footage and travel records showing three suspects left by bus to Belgium before flying to Bulgaria the next morning.
- Authorities are investigating at least eight other similar incidents, including Stars of David stencils, coffins near the Eiffel Tower, and pigs' heads at mosques, with this case the first to reach trial.