Arrests over masked attack on Bulgarian Editor-in-Chief

Arrests were made in a special operation in central Sofia on April 23, with one of the cases under investigation being the serious assault of Slavi Angelov, Editor-in-Chief of weekly 168 Chassa, Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev told reporters.

The operation was carried out under the supervision of the Special Prosecutor’s Office and jointly with the Sofia directorate of the Interior Ministry.

Geshev declined to say how many people had been arrested and declined to answer questions from reporters, saying that he was aware of the large public interest in the case but did not want to prejudice an ongoing investigation.

Further details about the special operation would be disclosed later, Geshev said.

Also at the scene in Cherkovna Street in Sofia was Interior Ministry chief secretary Ivailo Ivanov.

Two masked men armed with metal bars assaulted Angelov outside the entrance of the building of his central Sofia apartment on the evening of March 17.

While the attack was going on, a third used a phone to film the assault.

On approaching the entrance to the building, Angelov had noticed men wearing masks but – given the current Covid-19 situation in Bulgaria, which had prompted many people to wear masks – had thought nothing of it. As he neared the building’s front door, the assailants attacked him.

Angelov was treated in Tsaritsa Joanna hospital for serious injuries to his leg and face.

The attack on Angelov is widely believed to be connected to his work as a journalist.

(Screenshot: BNT)

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