Mayors Rally in Village of Bistritsa in Support of Mayor Samuil Popov

Konstantin Karagyozov, Teodora Tsaneva, Nelly Zheleva

Mayors from across the country gather in front of the village hall in Bistritsa in support of the village mayor Samuil Popov, whose car and the front door of his home were set on fire, February 17, 2025 (BTA Photo)

Sofia,

17.02.2026 13:43

(BTA)

Mayors from across the country gathered in front of the village hall in Bistritsa in support of the village mayor Samuil Popov, whose car and the front door of his home were set on fire on Monday.

Popov told BTA that he accepted the show of support with gratitude and thanked all colleagues who had travelled from the seaside and from around the country. He said he saw it as a sign of solidarity against people who had “gone too far”, referring to those who had ordered the arson attack. He added that he did not yet know who the instigators were, but voiced hope that they would be identified soon.

According to Popov, the attack was carried out because he was affecting certain economic interests. As an example, he pointed out that illegal dumping of excavated soil allows perpetrators to avoid paying fees that should go to municipal and state budgets, while the greatest risk is the potential formation of a landslide with catastrophic consequences, as seen in the seaside resort complex of Elenite. He explained that such a dumping site is located on the territory of Bistritsa. He also said that in June 2025 he had filed reports with the Agriculture Ministry, the Pancharevo district administration, the Sofia Inspectorate, the Environment and Water Ministry, the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water in Sofia, the Sofia District Prosecutor’s Office, and the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office.

On Monday, the Sofia Directorate of the Interior reported that five men had been detained in Bistritsa during a police operation connected with the investigation into the arson attack on Mayor Samuil Popov’s property.

/RY/