An assassination attempt. Bulgaria's prosecutor general emerged unscathed Monday after a roadside bomb exploded targeting his motorcade. The authorities called the event an "assassination attempt." Ivan Geshev "was the target of an assassination attempt, it was not a simple intimidation," his deputy, Borislav Sarafov, told reporters.
Authorities said the prosecutor general's convoy was heading to Sofia when, at around 11:30 a.m. local time (8:30 a.m. French time), a bomb exploded on the side of the road. "The bomb was not only loaded with TNT (about 3 kg), but it also contained shrapnel," Sarafov said. "It was an attack prepared by professionals, and obviously very well executed," he added, adding that Ivan Geshev and his family, who were travelling in armored vehicles, had escaped "on a stroke of fate".
The prosecutor's office has opened an investigation for terrorism. The exact nature of the explosive is being analyzed.
A controversial figure
In 2020, thousands of Bulgarians took to the streets for months to protest the alleged corruption of the government of then-Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. The strong mobilizations also demanded the resignation of Ivan Geshev.
A controversial figure for years, the attorney general, whose term runs until 2026, has been accused of protecting those in power as well as obstructing revelations of corruption and preventing its conviction.
The protests led to the end of Boyko Borissov's exercise of power, opening a period of political instability. Elections in early April, the fifth in two years, did not give the country a clear majority, which may have to vote again as early as this summer.
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