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A Bulgarian was arrested in Germany for the rape and murder of TV journalist Viktoria Marinova, the Attorney General said.
The Bulgarian authorities have announced the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of the 21-year-old man, who would be charged in absentia with rape and murder.
Marinova's body, which reported on an investigation into corruption charges involving European funds, was found in the border town of Ruse on the Danube this weekend. The 30-year-old disappeared after running near the river on Saturday.
Bulgarian Attorney General Sotir Tsatsarov confirmed the arrest of a man named by his office Severin Krasimirov of Bulgarian nationality.
The country's interior minister, Mladen Marinov, said that material evidence linked Krasimirov to the murder. Krasimirov, a resident of Ruse, had a criminal record for scrap metal, he said. The minister said the investigators had spoken to the journalist's family and friends and added, "There is no apparent connection to his work."
Marinova is the third journalist to be killed in an EU country in the space of one year. Death has reopened debates about the dangers of reporting, as well as the particular threats faced by women journalists.
Authorities said they were investigating all possibilities, but were cautious about the link between the murder and Marinova's journalism.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Bulgarian police announced that a Romanian citizen had been arrested, but then declared that there was no apparent connection to the case and that it was not. he would be released.
Later, the Bulgarian media reported that a man had been arrested in Germany and reported that statements of senior officials were expected Wednesday.
Marinova worked for TVN, a small regional channel based in Ruse, and participated in a new show called Detektor. The first episode, which also turned out to be the last one, featured interviews with two investigative journalists working on a corruption investigation linked to a misappropriation of EU funds, led by the center. Bulgarian investigation Bivol.
Bulgaria was this year in Reporters Without Borders' world ranking of freedom of the press in 111 out of 180 countries, less than any other member of the European Union and less than other Western Balkan countries. , some of whom are candidates for membership.
