Bulgarian Court Orders Attacker of Weather Forecasters to Psychiatric Facility Under House Arrest

The Sofia City Court has ruled that the 32-year-old man accused of attacking weather forecasters at the Murgash peak station will be placed under house arrest, but not in his parents' home. Instead, he will be transferred to the state psychiatric hospital "St. Ivan Rilski" in Novi Iskar. The court justified this decision by stating there is enough evidence suggesting his involvement in the attack, but it remains unclear whether he is criminally responsible for his actions.

A report assessing his mental health will be conducted at the psychiatric hospital. His mother, in a statement, expressed deep sympathy for the victims and acknowledged the suffering her son has endured. She explained that he likely experienced an attack before the incident and spent several days alone in the mountains, naked and hungry. She also criticized the lack of urgency in the system, noting that her son’s disappearance was reported two days before the incident and emergency services were not notified properly.

She added that had authorities been informed about her son’s mental illness, he might have been given the necessary shelter to prevent the situation from escalating. Her statement emphasized the contrast between the care her son received abroad and the shortcomings of the local system. Meanwhile, his lawyer, Todor Todorov, expressed the view that the psychiatric facility would be a better option for the accused, as it would ensure proper medical treatment and monitoring by specialists to aid in his recovery.

Last week, Novinite reported, that a 32-year-old man from Sofia had been charged with causing moderate bodily harm after attacking two meteorologists at the Murgash Peak synoptic station in the Balkan Mountains. The suspect broke into the station and assaulted the meteorologists, 59-year-old Rumyana Zlatanova and 67-year-old Georgi Zlatanov, with a shovel, causing serious head and facial injuries. Both victims managed to escape and were later hospitalized. The attack raised concerns about the lack of security at meteorological stations, prompting the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH) to plan enhanced safety measures, including window bars, video surveillance, and better communication systems.