'Killers' Raid Linked to Bulgarian Football Boss Murder - Report

Bulgaria’s police special operation "the Killers", which was launched Friday morning, is linked to the murder of Yuriy Galev, controversial president of Rilski Sportist football club and municipal councilor in the town of Samokov, according to media reports.

Galev, who was brutally shot June 20, passed away in hospital on June 30. He was notorious in Samokov for a number of criminal acts. The latest one was in February when Galev and several of his associates beat two ski lift guards in the Borovets mountain resort near Samokov after the latter refused to let his son ride the lift for free.

In the wake of this incident, the local police arrested four of Galev's men for arson of an office of the Borosport firm, which operates the ski lift.

In 1995 he was arrested after randomly shooting in the Rila hotel in Borovets. The same year Galev took part in shooting in nearby village of Beli Iskar and mass fighting at a disco in north-western town of Montana. Similar acts were committed in 1996 and 1999. Galev has been detained by the police on various charges, but later released.

The "Killers" special police operation announced Friday morning targets an alleged organized criminal group engaged in paid murders.

Interior minister Tsvetanov said the police forces targeted persons from all links in the chain - people who paid for, organized, and actually committed murders

The police operation was carried out at five places in Bulgaria - Sofia, Varna, northern Bulgarian town of Cherven Bryag, Black Sea resort town of Kiten, and Samokov near Sofia.

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