Former MEP and chairman of the Bulgarian Taekwondo Federation Slavi Binev was shot dead in his home in Sofia. He was 60 years old. The shooting was reported at around 10:30 a.m., and the arriving police found him dead. An investigation has been launched into the case.
A short while later, three suspects were detained on a highway near Sofia, announced senior police officer Lyubomir Nikolov. “Two of the detainees are Turkish citizens, and the third has a Bulgarian ID card“, Nikolov told journalists. According to him, the detainees were armed, but the possible motives for the murder have not yet been announced.
From sports to politics
Binev is the chairman of the Bulgarian Taekwondo Federation and vice president of the European Taekwondo Union. After a successful career as a competitor, he entered politics. He was a deputy in the National Assembly, and later a member of the European Parliament, where he was elected with the support of nationalist parties.
AP reports that local media over the years have linked Binev's activities in the early 1990s to a group that controlled several entertainment venues in Sofia. The publications made allegations of links to prostitution, drugs and trafficking in stolen cars. These allegations have not been presented as facts established by the investigation.
The murder was committed at the end of the tense campaign before the presidential elections in Bulgaria. So far, the police have not announced whether there is a connection between Binev's political past and the attack. The investigation is ongoing.
Sources: apnews.com, ukrinform.ua