Bulgarian Nationalist Chief Blames Turkey for Attack on Dogan

Turkey wants to interfere in Bulgaria's internal affairs through the attack on ethnic Turkish leader Ahmed Dogan.

The statement was made by the leader of the country's far-right, nationalist Ataka party, Volen Siderov.

He explained he had received the above information from an intelligence source, stressing he would not disclose his or her name over fears the person would be killed.

Siderov insists the attack was masterminded by Turkish secret services in order to provoke a smear campaign against Bulgaria and a "mechanism for armed actions and even war has been launched."

The country's chief nationalist explained the idea was to portray the ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, as the hero and reinforce its positions ahead of the general election by stirring noise across the world that Muslims in Bulgaria were repressed.

Siderov will raise the issue at the forthcoming Consultative Council for National Security at the Presidential Institution.

On Saturday, police in Bulgaria detained a man after he pointed a gun at Dogan as he was delivering a speech in the capital Sofia. No shots were fired. The man was identified as Oktay Enimehmedov, a 25-year-old ethnic Turkish resident of the city of Burgas, with a previous criminal record for assault and theft.

It emerged Sunday that the man did not actually want to kill the former leader and now Honorary Chairman of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, but to scare him.

Also on Sunday, Sofia City Prosecutor, Nikolay Kokinov, announced Enimehmedov will be charged with grave hooliganism and death threat.

Siderov is firm the attack was a "staged drama play" and rejects claimss Oktay acted alone, wanted to impress others and have his five minutes of glory.

He reminds of a story widely circulating on Facebook lately, where Enimehmedov is quoted telling a friend two days before the incident the following: "They are forcing me to do something I don't want to do."

"It is obvious this boy has been used – he has been involved in criminal activities, including illegal drugs distribution," Siderov says.

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