Bobi Tsankov

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.

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

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. "Journalist's murder exposes Bulgaria's failings". EURACTIV. 6 January 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  5. 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. "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. "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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