A National Security Service (NSO) officer faces charges over an incident involving journalist Sonya Koltuklieva, the agency said. Police held the officer for up to 72 hours, and prosecutors will ask a court to keep him in custody.
The incident happened on the afternoon of 22 October on Hristo Botev Boulevard in Sofia. The NSO said that same evening it would look into the case. Ivaylo Mirchev, co-chair of „Da, Bulgaria“, criticized the agency on Facebook. The accused officer protects National Assembly Speaker Mihaela Dotova.
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Police have already questioned the journalist and witnesses. Prosecutors said they will now question more witnesses, collect evidence, look at video footage, and call in experts to find out exactly what happened.
After 2.5 hours, Koltuklieva told the Sofia Military Prosecutor's Office that a criminal investigation has started and the guard is in custody.
Dotova also went to the prosecutor's office. She spoke to the reporter in person and said she was sorry about what happened.