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By Angel Krasimirov
RUSE, Bulgaria (Reuters) – Bulgarian police have detained a Romanian citizen of Ukrainian origin for 24 hours and have been investigating the rape and murder of TV anchor Viktoria Marinova, whose body was found in a Danube hometown of Smart.
"We have in custody a person we know," "The head of the Danube regional police in Ruse, Teodor Atanasov, told reporters.
A government source familiar with the investigation had told Reuters earlier that a suspect had been detained.
Prosecutors are expected to hold a news conference.
On September 30, Marinova introduced two journalists who have been investigating alleged corruption involving EU funds. She said, "Detector," would carry out similar investigations.
No link has been established to Marinova's work, the country has had many years of experience in the Balkans, where it has been frustrated with corruption and an inefficient judiciary, for which Sofia has been criticized by the European Commission.
Prosecutors said the 30-year-old journalist, who was a presenter and anchor at a local television station, had been raped, beaten and suffocated. Her body was found on Saturday.
The U.S. embassy to Sofia tweeted that it was shocked by the journalist's "horrific murder".
"U.S. is ready to help authorities if needed to bring perpetrators to justice," it said.
The European Commission has urged Bulgaria to conduct a rapid investigation into the murder.
Some local investigative journalism has been called into question by the journalist.
"I think that this is the only way to marginalize this killing and manipulate the public opinion that Viktoria was a victim of a random attack or sexual manslaughter," said Assen Yordanov, founder of Bivol.bg, whose reporters were on Marinova's last show. He did not elaborate.
He said that Marinova was the only journalist who had agreed to host his website to discuss their investigation into alleged high-level graft and misuse of EU funds.
Local people watched at night and read candles in front of her image. Many were stopping on Tuesday to be married to Marinova, who left a seven-year-old daughter.
"This is extremely frustrating." "I did not know her personally, but a mother I can only feel for her," said 28-year-old Denitsa Peicheva.
(Additional reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova in SOFIA, Writing by Krisztina Than, Editing by Louise Ireland)
