Bulgarian President Issues 10-Day Deadline for Dogan Attack Probe

Domestic | January 23, 2013, Wednesday // 10:07|  views

Bulgarian President, Rosen Plevneliev, says finger pointing and attempts to score political points in the attack against the country's ethnic Turkish leader must be replaced by expert work. Photo by BGNES

Bulgarian President, Rosen Plevneliev, has issued a 10-day deadline to all involved institutions to conclude their work in the attack against ethnic Turkish leader, Ahmed Dogan.

"The image of Bulgaria has been put on the line with the attack on the now Honorary Chairman of the ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, on Saturday. Pointing fingers and attempting to score political points have to be replaced by expert work," said he.

According to Plevneliev, convening the Consultative Council for National Security at the Office of the President on February 5th will open the opportunity for the State to show its firm reaction.

He congratulated Lyutvi Mestan for his election as DPS Chairman and confirmed he has already met with him in private.

"I respect their ideas to turn into a true modern and liberal European party, and I wish them success as wish the same to all Bulgarian political formations. However, in this difficult moment when Bulgaria made headlines across the world with footage showing a gun pointed at the head of a political leader, we must admit this is a problem of democracy, and from now on we must join around the effort to clean our image. How? Definitely not by arguing who, how and why, making the matter political and supporting the attacker," the President is quoted saying.

The said 10-day deadline has been issued to the country's Chief Prosecutor, Interior Minister, and the Chief of the National Security Services, NSO.

On Tuesday, the DPS leadership voiced for the second time their demands to have an international probe in the attack and assign the expert report to a European Lab.

Plevneliev has reiterated earlier statements NSO have committed serious breaches and must be held responsible. He noted the entire chain of command and events will be examined and there would be sanctions.

The President firmly rejected claims the authorities had early tipoffs and warnings about the attack.

Meanwhile bTV reported that NSO will provide a summary of their actions during and after the attack on Thursday.

Last Saturday, police in Bulgaria detained a man after he pointed a gun at Dogan as he was delivering a speech in the capital Sofia. No shots were fired. The man was identified as Oktay Enimehmedov, a 25-year-old ethnic Turkish resident of the city of Burgas, with a previous criminal record for assault and theft.

It emerged later that the man did not actually want to kill the former leader and now Honorary Chairman of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, but to scare him.

On Sunday, Sofia City Prosecutor, Nikolay Kokinov, announced Enimehmedov will be charged with grave hooliganism and making a death threat. The Sofia Regional Court ruled Monday to keep the attacker under permanent detention.

Soon after the incident, Plevneliev, announced he was calling the Security Council to examine security breaches on the part of NSO.

Regarding the upcoming general election, the President pledged to not become an engine of political horse-trading to form a coalition Cabinet, but rather have his institution used as a platform for debates and consultations.

He admitted that the most difficult moment for him since he took office was the July 18 terror act at the Sarafovo airport in the Black Sea city of Burgas which killed 5 Israeli tourists, their Bulgarian bus driver and the bomber. He informed the investigation has made significant advancement and results were soon to become public.

January 22 marked one year since Plevneliev was sworn in office.

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Tags: Rosen Plevneliev, president, Todor Kodzheykov, Consultative Council for National Security, Ahmed Dogan, assassination attempt, ethnic Turkish, ethnic Turks, Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Oktay Enimehmedov, grave hooliganism, death threat, gas pistol, Prosecutor, NSO, National Security Services, Nikolay Kokinov, Sarafovo, terror act, election, Lyutvi Mestan

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