Sofia's Prosecutor's Office will launch a pre-trial procedure against unknown offenders for praching religious hatred after last Friday's accident in which supporters of the far-right Ataka (Attack) party assaulted praying Muslims.

This was announced by Sofia's Chief Prosecutor Nikolay Kokinov after he met with Ataka leader Volen Siderov on Wednesday, according to the Dnevnik daily.

If suspects are identified, those who caused the attack by preaching racial hatred may face up to 4 years in prison, as well as a fine between BGN 5 000 and BGN 10 000. The Ataka supporters face up to 3 years in prison.

After last Friday, when activists of Ataka led by Siderov assaulted praying Muslims in the Banya Bashi mosque in downtown Sofia during a protest rally against the loudspeakers used by the mosque, there have been petitions by the civil society and by the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms party for a ban of the nationalist party for instigating ethnic and religious hatred.

At the present moment, no actions have been taken on banning Ataka, as it is the Constitutional Court that has to decide on that, Sofia's Chief Prosecutor explained.

Meanwhile, Ataka has not yet moved to demand the abolishment of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, as it had hinted, according to its representatives.

On Wednesday, Valentin Nikolov, Kiril Gumnerov and Ognyan Peychev left Ataka's parliamentary group provoked by the accident Friday. The controversial party' which is the ruling centrist-right GERB's only ally, is now left with 17 MPs.

The three MP's move may contribute to the Bulgarian government's stability, as Ataka recently announced it may turn against it.

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