The District Court of Veliko Tarnovo has launched the trial against Petko Petkov, the man who shot dead a police commando last year during an operation carried out to detain him.

Petkov is charged with the murder of Emil Sharkov and the attempted murder of five other members of the specialized anti-terror squad that were deployed alongside the victim.

"I am absolutely not guilty and will prove it," Darik Radio quotes the defendant as saying while entering the courtroom. His lawyer Viktor Kostov told reporters he is pinning his hopes on a "fair trial".

Monday's first court sitting will be helped behind closed doors so that the anonymity of the wounded commando officers involved will be ensured. Their identities must be kept secret as long as they are employed by Bulgaria's Ministry of Interior.

On March 14 of last year the house of Petko Petkov, now 54, was besieged by the elite unit after he had reiterated his threats to shoot at childred playing in a schoolyard located in the immediate just next to his balcony.  

An operation was underway aimed at disarming Petkov (he illegally possessed a gun) when he opened fire after calls to surrender.

Since the incident took place, opinions have diverged on whether the operation was a failure in terms of planning, or was a direct consequence of the overall situation at the Interior Ministry which has long had problems with staff management and working conditions.

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