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Gas pistol pointed at Bulgaria party leader Gas pistol pointed at Bulgaria party leader
(about 3 hours later)
Bulgarian police detained a man after he pointed a gas pistol at an ethnic Turkish party leader who was delivering a speech at a party caucus in the capital Saturday. No shots were fired. The video from Saturday's event in Sofia shows the man climbing the podium where Ahmed Dogan, the leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, was speaking, and pointing the gun to his face. A Bulgarian opposition politician narrowly escaped an assassination attempt during a televised speech on Saturday, when a man climbed on the stage next to him and pointed a gun to his head at point-blank range.
Dogan struck the man before he could pull the trigger, and other delegates wrestled the assailant to the ground. TV footage showed several people punching, kicking and stomping on the man when he was on the ground. Ahmed Dogan, the leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), which represents the Turkish minority in Bulgaria, escaped unharmed after his would-be assassin was wrestled to the ground by security guards, during the party congress in the capital Sofia.
Police arrested him and took him to a hospital. It wasn't immediately clear if he sustained serious injuries, or how he got past security to enter the hall with nearly 3,000 people attending. Video footage showed that Dogan, 58, was able to push the man's hand away before security officials pulled the assailant to the ground, punching and kicking him before he was arrested. He was later taken to hospital.
Eventually, the attacker was identified by police as 25-year-old Oktai Enimehmedov, a Bulgarian national and ethnic Turk, from the coastal city of Burgas. He was carrying the gas pistol and two knives. A gas pistol is a non-lethal weapon used for self-defence, but experts say when fired from close range it can cause life-threatening injuries. Police identified the alleged attacker as Oktai Enimehmedov, 25, from the eastern coastal city of Burgas. They said that he was carrying the gun and two knives.
Interior minister Tsvevtan Tsvetanov told journalists that the assailant had a criminal record for drugs possession, robberies and hooliganism. Tsvetan Tsvetanov, the interior minister, is reported to have said that the attacker tried to fire two shots but "most likely the gun misfired". However, other reports suggest that the weapon was a gas pistol, a non-lethal weapon used for self-defence, which can cause serious injuries when fired from close range.
The liberal MRF party mainly represents ethnic Turks and other Muslims in Bulgaria, who make up 12% of its 7.3 million population. The liberal MRF party represents ethnic Turks and other Muslims, who make up about 12% of Bulgaria's population of about seven million. Dogan, who is seen as one of the country's most influential political figures, was acquitted two years ago after a high-profile corruption trial into payments it was alleged that he received as a consultant for a hydroelectric power project. The MRF was a junior partner in the previous Socialist-led cabinet before switching to the opposition following the 2009 elections.
The conference had to elect a new leader to succeed Dogan, who is one of the Balkan country's most influential political figures. The 58-year-old has been at the helm of the party since founding it in 1990. Dogan, who has led the party for almost 25 years, returned to the conference a few hours after the attack and was given a standing ovation.
Lyutvi Mestan, who was expected to become the new party leader, said: "The true reason for the assault was the language of hatred and confrontation." President Rosen Plevneliev said in a statement: "Bulgarian society is traditionally known for its tolerance, mutual acceptance and respect between different ethnic groups and religions. Such an act is unacceptable in a democratic state." The incident was the most serious attack on a politician in Bulgaria since Andrei Lukanov, a former prime minsiter, was found shot dead near his home in Sofia in 1996.
Saturday's assault was the gravest attack on a politician in post-communist Bulgaria since the 1996 killing of ex-prime minister Andrei Lukanov. Having joined the European Union in 1997, Bulgarian citizens can move to the UK for work after temporary limits expire at the end of this year. Any Bulgarian who has been working legally as an employee in the UK for 12 months without a break will have full rights of free movement.