Boris "Bobi" Tsankov
Born(1979-08-12)12 August 1979
Sofia, Bulgaria
Died5 January 2010(2010-01-05) (aged 30)
Sofia, Bulgaria
NationalityBulgarian
Occupation(s)Journalist, crime writer and radio personality

Bobi Tsankov (Bulgarian: Боби Цанков; 12 August 1979 – 5 January 2010) was a Bulgarian journalist, crime writer and radio personality, who was killed in Sofia for unclear reasons.

Biography

Boris "Bobi" Tsankov[1] was born in Sofia on 12 August 1979.[2] A controversial figure,[3][4] in 2003 he was arrested[5] and in 2006 he was convicted for fraud.[6] He has been a host for Viva Radio. In September 2009 he started publishing a series on article on the tabloid Weekend about local crime figures.[6] On TV he claimed to be close to some of underworld bosses of Bulgaria.[7]

In November 2009 he published Secrets of the Mobsters, described as an autobiographical thriller,[5] while according to the police it was a mix of fact and fiction.[8]

Murder of Tsankov

In 2004 a bomb exploded in front of Tsankov's home.[9] On 5 January 2010, he was shot dead in central Sofia in broad daylight by two gunmen. He was 30 years old. Two other men were wounded:[10][11] they were his bodyguards according to Dnevnik[6] while according to the police they were clients of the same law firm that Tsankov had previously visited.[8]

Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova[12] and Nina Ognianova of the Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the killing.[13] Mark Gray, a spokesperson for the European Commission, and EurActiv noted that shootings were a serious problem in Bulgaria.[4]

Krasimir Marinov, a suspected crime boss, was arrested and charged with incitement to murder,[14] but was later freed. Authorities were seeking also his brother Nikolai Marinov.[6] Stefan Bonev was also detained.[15] The motives of his murder remain unclear: it has been argued that it could have been related to his writings or to his frauds.[6][16]

References

  1. ↑ Beesley, Arthur (6 January 2010). "Author of book on local mafia shot dead in Bulgaria". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  2. ↑ "КОЙ Е БОБИ ЦАНКОВ" [Who is Bobi Tsankov]. DarikNews.bg (in Bulgarian). 5 January 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  3. ↑ "Who Is Who: Murdered Bulgarian Journalist Bobi Tsankov". novinite.com. 5 January 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Journalist's murder exposes Bulgaria's failings". EURACTIV. 6 January 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  5. 1 2 Bilefsky, Dan (31 January 2010). "A Crime Writer's Pages Come to Life in His Death". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bobi Tsankov". Committee to Protect Journalists. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  7. ↑ "Bulgaria Radio Host Shot Dead". BalkanInsight. 5 January 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Cop: Killed Bulgarian Journalist Did Not Know Most Mafia Bosses". novinite.com. 7 January 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  9. ↑ "Bulgaria Radio Host Shot Dead". BalkanInsight. 5 January 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  10. ↑ Castle, Stephen; Bilefsky, Dan (5 January 2010). "Bulgarian Journalist Gunned Down in Sofia". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  11. ↑ "Bulgarian journalist shot dead in Sofia". DW. 5 January 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  12. ↑ "UNESCO chief condemns killing of Bulgarian journalist". UN News. 8 January 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  13. ↑ "Bulgaria Urged To Act on Journalist Murder". BalkanInsight. 6 January 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  14. ↑ "Bulgarian 'crime boss' charged over Tsankov murder". 7 January 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  15. ↑ "Bulgaria Police Detain 2 After Journalist Murder". BalkanInsight. 6 January 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  16. ↑ Kampschror, Beth (11 January 2010). "The dangers of chronicling crime in Bulgaria". Index on Censorship. Retrieved 12 December 2019.

See also

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