Send to Kindle
The supporters of the nationalist Ataka party set on fire rugs Muslims use to pray. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency
The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office had opened three legal cases over the Friday clashes between supporters of Bulgaria's far-right, nationalist Ataka party and Muslims in downtown Sofia.
The information was reported Saturday by the private channel bTV, citing the Prosecutor's Office spokesperson, Rusi Alexiev.
Several people were arrested after Ataka supporters started a brawl, assaulting Muslims during their Friday prayer in Sofia's Banya Bashi mosque. Party leader, Volen Siderov, stated in the aftermath his followers were in downtown Sofia for a "peaceful" protest; demanded immediate release of the detainees, threatening to withdraw his support for the ruling, center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, GERB, party.
Bulgarian President, Georgi Parvanov, and all major political groups strongly condemned the incident while the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee appealed to authorities to investigate and ban Ataka if proven responsible for the clash.
The first indictment, Alexiev says, is for hooliganism against two Ataka supporters. They have been interrogated and released. The second one is against an unknown perpetrator for injuring Ataka Member of the Parliament, Denitsa Gadzheva. The third is over injuring police officers on duty.
From July 6 until September 12, 2025, traffic on Sofia's Aleksandar Stamboliyski Boulevard will be closed to vehicles between Bulina Livada Street and Vardar Boulevard
"Toplofikatsiya Sofia" (Heating Systems Sofia) has begun its routine summer maintenance
The real estate market in Bulgaria in the first half of 2025 continues to evolve, with Sofia maintaining its status as the country’s most expensive city for property purchases
Just one week after the launch of the Antispekula.bg platform and its mobile app, citizens across Bulgaria have begun actively submitting reports of suspected price manipulation
A Banksy-inspired graffiti piece has sparked excitement in Sofia, appearing in the Borisova Garden just steps from the capital’s Kolodrum arena
Customs officers from the Sofia Customs Territorial Directorate, specifically from the "Fight against drug trafficking" unit, intercepted 1.6 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a hidden compartment of a suitcase at Sofia Airport
In a major operation by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Directorate for Drug Control and Investigations, Bulgarian law enforcement seized two kilograms of fentanyl
A tragic altercation on the eve of a wedding left one man dead
Customs officers from the Sofia Customs Territorial Directorate, specifically from the "Fight against drug trafficking" unit, intercepted 1.6 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a hidden compartment of a suitcase at Sofia Airport
A criminal scheme linked to an international money laundering network has been uncovered in Bulgaria
A 73-year-old Swiss national residing in Kosharitsa village was detained by police after threatening two young people with a firearm near the village of Tankovo, close to Nessebar.
A Czech tourist was discovered dead in a hotel room in the seaside town of Primorsko, Bulgarian police confirmed
Borderless Bulgaria: How Schengen Benefits Are Transforming Trade and Logistics
Bulgaria's Mortality Rate Remains Highest in Europe
