Petrov, who was assassinated twice in Bulgaria in 2005 and 2012, was shot and killed by unidentified people today while walking around the luxurious Dragalevtzi district of Sofia. A woman, presumed to be Petrov’s business partner, was also seriously injured in the attack.
EXTENSIVE SAFETY MEASURES ON THE STREETS OF SOFIA
In the Bulgarian press, comments were made that such a murder had not been committed in the country for years, and that the incident reminded of the period when mafia reckonings took place in the first years following the former communist regime that was destroyed in 1989.
Security measures have been increased in Sofia’s streets and entrances, as the police and prosecutor’s office launched a multi-faceted investigation into the murder.
WHO IS ALEKSEY PETROV?
A former commando, Petrov served as an agent of the political police during communism. In the early years of the transition to democracy, Petrov resigned from his post at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and moved to the private sector.
Petrov, who was tried for membership in a criminal organization with 13 defendants in 2010, was acquitted of the case called “Octopus” by the prosecutor’s office. Petrov later won the compensation suit he filed against the state. Petrov, who later owned one of the country’s largest insurance companies, served as a consultant to the State National Security Agency (DANS) in the field of counter-terrorism for a while.
Petrov also held the chair of National and Corporate Security at the National University of Economics (UNSS) in Sofia. Claiming to have close relations with Bulgaria’s high-level political and judicial circles, Petrov was one of the prominent names in the business world with his commercial initiatives. (AA)