Businessman Alexey Petrov shot dead in Sofia

Famous businessman Alexey Petrov has been shot dead.

The murder happened during a regular weekly walk in Vitosha mountains, in Dragalevtsi area, around midday on August 16. There was a woman accompanying him, who according to unofficial information, lived with him.

A man dressed in camouflage clothes, on a bicycle, carrying a rifle, shot at Petrov.

The woman was wounded during the shooting and was taken to "Pirogov" emergency hospital, to the shock room. There is no information about her condition.

The Head of Sofia City Prosecutor’s office, Iliyana Kirilova, along with two of her deputies, Hristo Krastev and Ivaylo Iliev, as well as Minister of Interior, Kalin Stoyanov, went to the scene of the murder.

There is an increased police presence at the scene. The Ministry of Interior said that forensic experts are clarifying the facts and circumstances surrounding the crime committed in the capital. Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in the case, within the framework of which an inspection is being carried out and the circumstances will be clarified.

Who is Alexey Petrov?

Businessman, corporate security and anti-terrorism expert, lecturer and defendant in the “Octopus” case (investigation into "Octopus" crime group). In the past, he was an officer from the anti-terrorism special squad, an insurer, a security services collaborator, a former advisor in the State Agency for National Security (SANS) and a former presidential candidate.

Petrov was the target of assassination attempts in the past. On August 15, 2002, he was shot in the chest and leg on his way out of the "Spartak" pool office.

He graduated from the police academy in Pazardzhik in 1981. Later he graduated from the present-day University of National and World Economy.

He worked for 8 years in the security services. After leaving the unit for comabatting terrorism, he became one of the founders of the insurance companies “Apollo and Balkan” and “Spartak”, which in the past were associated with insurance racket (in the 1990ties - instead of the client paying for compensation in the event of an insurance incident, the clients were paying to prevent damages by the racketeers).

In 2008, Petrov was exposed as a secret counterintelligence collaborator. The reason for this was the scandalous meeting between then Minister of Interior Rumen Petkov and the operationally interesting Galevi brothers. Then Alexey Petrov became an adviser to the former chairman of SANS Petko Sertov. Shortly after GERB came to power for the first time, he took to the prime minister documents marked "confidential" about corruption in the office of Sergei Stanishev.

Then-Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said the former commando had gone to him as a "loyal citizen". In 2010, Petrov was ostentatiously arrested in the "Octopus" special operation. Of the mega-investigation for extortion, money laundering, Kremikovtzi embezzlement and pimping, only one racketeering case made it to court.

In 2011, Alexey Petrov was a presidential candidate, but only gained about 1% support. He is also an associate professor, PhD in economics, and president of the National and Balkan Karate Federation.