A Bulgarian man was detained in Germany on Wednesday over the rape and murder of Bulgarian journalist Viktoria Marinova, officials said.
Bulgarian authorities identified the suspect as Severin Krasimirov and said he lived near the park in Ruse where Marinova's body was found last Saturday. They said he left the country on Sunday.
German authorities confirmed a 20-year old suspect had been arrested in Stade at the home of relatives on Tuesday night and was due to be brought before a magistrate on Wednesday.
Bulgaria has charged the suspect in absentia with rape and premeditated murder with extreme cruelty and Germany was expected to extradite him for trial in Bulgaria, Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov said.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov speaks next to Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov and Interior Minister Mladen Marinov in Sofia, Bulgaria, October 10, 2018. /Reuters Photo
The murder of Marinova, a 30-year-old presenter on a local TV station who was raped, beaten and suffocated, according to police, raised questions again about press freedoms in Bulgaria.
On her last TV show, on September 30, Marinova discussed suspected corruption involving EU funds and announced she would investigate such cases.
Speaking at a news conference, Tsatsarov said he could not say at this stage if Marinova's murder was linked to her work as a journalist. The collected evidence so far pointed to a spontaneous attack and sexual assault, he said.
Bulgaria ranked 111 out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders world press freedom index this year, lower than any other European Union member.
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov however defended his government's record on press freedoms at a press conference on Wednesday, saying journalists in Bulgaria had "total freedom to write and report on any topic" and decrying pressure on the authorities from abroad over the murder.
(Cover: People take part in a candle-light vigil in memory of Bulgarian TV journalist Viktoria Marinova in Ruse, Bulgaria, October 8, 2018. /Reuters Photo)