Bulgarian Ethnic Turks Snub Police Probe in Attack on Dogan

Bulgaria's ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, demands from the Prosecutor's Office to eliminate the police from the probe in the attack against their leader, Ahmed Dogan.

The statement was made Tuesdat by DPS Chairman Lyutvi Mestan at the official emergency press conference of the party.

This is the second such press conference of the party since Saturday when Dogan was attacked by a man brandishing a gas pistol during the party's Eight National Conference.

At the same event,  Mestan was elected Chairman while Dogan was made Honorary Chairman of the political formation.

The new party leader said Tuesday that DPS is firm the Interior Ministry cannot lead an unbiased investigation in the attack. He asked for the Chief Prosecutor to lead the National Security Services, NSO, in probing the incident.

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.

At the Saturday press conference, Mestan voiced outrage from the Bulgaria authorities shift of focus regarding the murder attempt in presenting it as an individual act of a man who only wanted his moment of glory.

He further informed the party will ask for an international probe in the incident since they see it as an attempt for political murder. The incident will also be included as grounds for the non-confidence vote against the Cabinet to be tabled by DPS in upcoming days.

On Sunday, Sofia City Prosecutor, Nikolay Kokinov, announced Enimehmedov will be charged with grave hooliganism and making a death threat. The Sofia Regional Court ruled Monday to keep the attacker under permanent detention.