Car bomb in Sofia

On 13 Oct., a bomb blew up the car of Sasho Dikov, a popular Bulgarian television reporter, coinciding with a visit of EC President Jose Manuel Barroso and EP President Jerzy Buzek to Sophia.

While no one was hurt, the attack was seen as an attempt to embarrass the centre-right GERB government ahead of local and presidential elections at the end of the month.

"[It was meant] to discredit the cabinet and create the feeling that it is not capable of dealing with its task," sociologist Antoniy Galabov told Reuters.

The incident is the latest in a string of explosions and outbreaks of civil unrest in Bulgaria this year, dealing a blow to the government’s efforts to crack down on organised crime.