The double murder at Sofia's "Solo" Club has been an act of self defense, a friend of the alleged killer told Darik radio Tuesday.

24-year-old Bulgarian, Iliyan Todorov, was arrested for the double murder of Vasil Alexandrov and Kiril Vazharov, and is charged with homicide.

Todorov's friend, identified as Stefan, said that the two were among a group of software experts showing Sofia to foreign colleagues during the night of the murder.

"We walked down "Positano" street and were immediately confronted by a young man, holding a glass filled with liquor; he appeared drunk. He passed a remark saying that we should not be speaking English because in his country people speak Bulgarian. He was very aggressive and told me to get lost. My friend stood between us and said something in English, which triggered his rage. He tried to hit me. I saw his friends running towards us. The next thing I remember was the young man hitting me with the glass on the head and images of people beating me and strangling me on the hood of a parked car," Stefan recalled.

The alleged killer's friend further explains that he had not seen a knife or the bodies of the two victims, adding he met Ilyan's parents after the incident and they confirmed his recollection of the incident and Ilyan acting in self defense and to defend his friend.

Stefan declined to state his last name with the explanation that he freed for his life.
 
In the mean time, the local leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) in the town of Pernik announced that the alleged killer's father was withdrawing from his post as Deputy Chair of the Pernik BSP branch and as Chair of the BSP municipal councilmen in the town.

This is the second time since March when the son of a prominent politician has been charged with murder.