Sofia Print Media Facility Bomb Threat Proven to Be Hoax

The Thursday morning bomb threat against the Sofia editing and publishing center (IPK) "Rodina" proved to be a hoax.

The information was reported by the Bulgarian Interior Ministry.

The police further inform the threat was received by the editorial office of the daily "Telegraph."

A male voice called the emergency hotline 112 around 7:30 am from a phone booth and said a bomb has been placed in the "Telegraph" office.

All employees in the buildings were evacuated, but the authorities did not discover a bombing device.

The building, known as the editing and publishing center (IPK) "Rodina," houses the editorial offices of several of the major Bulgarian newspapers: "Monitor," "Telegraph,", "Politika," "Express," "Meridian Match," "Duma," and other publications.

Since January, Irena Krasteva, the notorious Bulgarian media mogul, who owns several newspapers and TV channels, is also the CEO of IPK "Rodina."

Irena Krasteva is reported to be close to the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) and its leader, Ahmed Dogan. The DPS was one of the partners in the three-way coalition government of outgoing PM Sergey Stanishev.

There were earlier speculations in the media that the bomb could end up being an attack on Krasteva.