The young Bulgarian store clerk who was stabbed last Saturday in Sofia could have been a part of a refugee trafficking ring, revealed a Cameroonian national.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke to a bTV reporter, saying that the 20-year old Victoria Hristova, who was stabbed by an Algerian asylum seeker in Sofia last Saturday, had received money to organize the illegal transportation of refugees out of Bulgaria.

According to the Cameroonian, who is a refugee himself, Victoria was a mediator between traffickers and refugees, and had received up to EUR 1 200 from the attacker, Salahedin bin Aladdin. He believes Aladdin was cheated with the money and was seeking revenge.

“This is common in this area. They promise to take refugees out of the country, to Western Europe, and ask for money. Many people get cheated. The motive could not be only robbery. If he wanted to rob the store, he would just hit the girl, not stab her”, said the Cameroonian man.

Salahedin bin Aladdin was captured in Greece on Wednesday, where he had managed to escape. He is currently in custody in Sofia and has confessed to the crime. Victoria is wounded, but without a danger to her life.

Earlier on Saturday, the Bulgarian authorities busted a channel for transporting asylum seekers illegally from the border reception centers to the capital Sofia. Three men were arrested in the operation.