Bulgarian Sports Official and Former EU Lawmaker Fatally Shot
Slavi Binev, head of the Bulgarian Taekwondo Federation, was killed at his Sofia home on Saturday.
The head of the Bulgarian Taekwondo Federation and vice president of the European Taekwondo Union, Slavi Binev, was shot dead at his home in Sofia on Saturday, police reported. Binev, 60, had transitioned from a Taekwondo career to politics, serving as a member of the National Assembly and later as a Member of the European Parliament for nationalist parties.
Authorities received a report of gunfire around 10:30 a.m. and discovered Binev deceased upon their arrival. An investigation into the incident is ongoing. Police have detained three suspects on a highway outside of Sofia. According to top police official Lyubomir Nikolov, two of the detainees hold Turkish citizenship, while the third possesses a Bulgarian identity card. Nikolov stated the suspects were armed but did not provide details regarding potential motives for the killing.
Local media have reported on Binev's business activities in the early 1990s, which were linked to a group that operated several entertainment venues in Sofia and was allegedly involved in organized crime, including prostitution, drug trafficking, and dealing in stolen vehicles. The report noted that mafia-style killings of public figures were common in Bulgaria during the 1990s, and Binev's death is the latest in a recent series of high-profile killings. His death occurred as Bulgaria concluded a contentious campaign for its presidential elections, scheduled for Sunday.