A total of 18 people belonging to the international neo-Nazi organisation “Blood and Honour” have been arrested at an overnight raid on a private club in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv, the head of the city’s regional directorate of the Interior Ministry Vassil Kostadinov told reporters on August 16. “The people who gathered at the private club shared the ideology of the international neo-Nazi political network ‘Blood and Honour’, preaching the superiority of the white race. The movement is banned in several European countries,” Kostadinov said. Flags and posters with various neo-Nazi symbols, as well as a gas pistol, were found in the private club. Among those detained at the club, which is near Plovdiv’s Mladeshki Hulm, is an 18-year-old man arrested earlier in the week for an assault some months ago on two Nepalese citizens. He was released by the District Court on bail of 700 euro. (…) The club had been checked before, in November 2023, and proceedings were initiated under Article 162 of the Penal Code – which outlaws inciting hatred and violence based on race, skin colour, origin, nationality or ethnicity or sexual orientation – but were terminated by prosecutors, according to Kostadinov. He said that none of those had been present at the murder of Georgi Kuzev on Mladeshki Hulm, but were there were people with links to those who had been present at the murder. Kostadinov was referring to the vicious killing of Kuzev by a group of youths who allegedly were inspired by a Russian neo-Nazi. (…) The connection between the two young men who assaulted the Nepalese citizens – who are long-term residents of Plovdiv – and the group from the Mladeshki Hulm killing was established during the investigation into the murder of Kuzev. The attack on the Nepalese citizens was also captured on video
via sofiaglobe: Bulgarian police arrest 18 in Plovdiv linked to neo-Nazi ‘Blood and Honour’
siehe auch: Bulgaria: 18 Detained in Plovdiv Over Suspected Neo-Nazi Group Ties. Eighteen people have been detained in Plovdiv as part of a joint operation by Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security (DANS) and police targeting a group allegedly linked to the international neo-Nazi organization Blood & Honour. Police said objects and symbols associated with ideologies prohibited by Bulgarian law, including swastikas, were found during the operation. According to Plovdiv police chief Senior Commissioner Vasil Kostadinov, none of those detained is a minor under 14. One of the detainees is a 17-year-old girl. Some of those arrested are also allegedly connected to people who were present during the fatal attack on Youth Hill in Plovdiv. (…) The group includes people with different occupations and interests and is not made up solely of unemployed individuals. Several students are also among those detained. According to investigators, the group had been meeting for around two years. Police also commented on reports that lawyer Stoyan Memtsov had attempted to prevent officers from entering the premises during the operation. Kostadinov said the lawyer had been advising the tenant of the establishment where the raid took place not to cooperate with investigators during the search. (…) The latest operation comes after the investigation into the killing of 37-year-old Georgi Kuzev on Youth Hill in Plovdiv. On August 15, police and DANS detained 16 people believed to be connected to the group associated with those accused in Kuzev’s death. Nazi and fascist symbols were reportedly found at a location used for gatherings. Five teenagers — three boys and two girls aged between 14 and 17 — were detained in connection with the killing. A court ordered all five to remain in custody, and subsequent appeals by the two girls did not result in their release. Investigators allege that Kuzev was subjected to more than an hour of severe violence. According to evidence presented in court, the teenagers burned him with cigarettes, shaved his eyebrows and attempted to strangle him. They also allegedly took €30 from him and later used the money to buy food. Some of the violence was reportedly recorded and shared on social media. Teenagers allegedly posed as “pedophile hunters” Investigators said a 17-year-old girl from Stara Zagora had presented herself as 15 and arranged a meeting with Kuzev. (…) According to investigators, the teenagers were influenced by groups that present themselves as “pedophile hunters” and believed Kuzev was a pedophile. Authorities have stressed, however, that this does not alter the nature of the subsequent violence. The 37-year-old man suffered severe injuries, including damage to his lungs, liver and kidneys, as well as a serious traumatic brain injury. Despite his condition, Kuzev managed to make his way down from Youth Hill on his own. He was later found in a helpless condition at the foot of the hill and taken to hospital, where he died several hours after the attack; Police Arrest 18 Suspected Neo-Nazi Blood & Honour Members in Plovdiv. A total of 18 people affiliated with the international neo-Nazi organization Blood & Honour have been arrested at a private club in Plovdiv, Senior Commissioner Vasil Kostadinov, head of the Plovdiv Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry, announced at a briefing on Sunday. They were detained at a club located opposite Youth Hill in the city, where various neo-Nazi items were found. At present, there is no evidence linking them to the murder on the hill, committed by minors. The detainees have been charged under Article 162, Paragraph 1 of the Penal Code, which concerns inciting discrimination, violence, or hatred based on race, nationality, or ethnicity. Some of them have previous criminal records, while others have been convicted of various offenses. Among those arrested is the man involved in the case concerning the assault of Nepalese nationals, as well as his father and brother. He was released from custody four days ago. Three girls have also been detained, one of whom is 17 and will turn 18 in September, Kostadinov said. According to him, the club does not operate as a regular establishment, but people have been gathering there periodically for around two years. Saturday night, they were watching the Ludogorets–Botev (Plovdiv) football match. The club’s tenant is among those detained; 18 задържани в Пловдив, част от международната неонацистка организация “Кръв и чест” Снощи 18 души са били арестувани при акция на ДАНС срещу неонацистки групи и фашистки организации в Пловдив, като е разбито едно от местата, използвани от групата за свърталище. Сред арестуваните има лица, свързани с присъствалите на убийството на Младежкия хълм, съобщи шефът на полицията в Пловдив старши комисар Васил Костадинов. По думите му сред задържаните е единият от двамата извършители на побоя над двама непалски граждани, а също и брат му и баща му. Някои от арестуваните са криминално проявени. Всички са задържани за 24 часа. Според комисаря всички живеят в Пловдив, но не всички са от този град. Сред тях има хора с различни професии и интереси, не става дума за безработни. По информация на NOVA адвокат Стоян Мемцов е направил опит да попречи на органите на реда да влязат в помещението. Костадинов обясни, че адвокатът е давал съвети на собственика на заведението, където е осъществена акцията, по време на обиска. По думите на полицая задържаните са се срещали периодично на мястото след предварителна уговорка.
siehe dazu auch: Teens Murder a Man in Plovdiv: The Known Facts, Claims and Allegations. The death of 37-year-old Georgi Kuzev after an attack involving a group of teenagers in Plovdiv has triggered widespread public reaction and a flood of conflicting information. Established facts, the prosecution’s allegations, defense arguments, witness accounts and unverified claims have increasingly become mixed together, making it difficult to distinguish what is known from what remains speculation. Kuzev, from the town of Krichim, was found in critical condition on August 4 at the foot of Youth Hill in Plovdiv. He was taken to hospital but died several hours later. Initial forensic findings indicate that the cause of death was severe combined trauma, including a serious head injury, multiple fractures and damage to internal organs. Police detained 10 teenagers aged between 14 and 17 in connection with the case. Prosecutors have charged five of them, three boys and two girls, from Plovdiv, Stara Zagora and the village of Stroevo. Two of the boys are 16 and have completed ninth grade, while the third is 14 and completed seventh grade this year. One of the girls is 17 and the other is under 16. Investigators have seized the teenagers’ phones and have obtained video recordings of the attack, as well as communications from platforms including Telegram and Instagram. (…) Authorities have also said there is no criminal record for Kuzev and no reports that he had previously been investigated or reported for pedophilia or sexual misconduct. Relatives in Krichim have described him as quiet and reserved. More than two decades ago, he lost both parents when they were killed by lightning. (…) Prosecutors are currently accusing the five teenagers of intentional murder committed in a particularly torturous manner, in complicity, with particular cruelty and for hooligan and sexual motives. These allegations remain to be established in court. According to the prosecution’s account presented during the detention proceedings, Kuzev was lured to the meeting through the social media profile of the 17-year-old girl from Stara Zagora. The teenagers allegedly described themselves as “pedophile hunters.” Investigators allege that the assault lasted more than an hour and included insults, humiliation, choking, extinguishing cigarettes on the victim and numerous blows. Some of the acts were reportedly recorded on mobile phones. Prosecutors maintain that the teenagers understood the consequences of their actions and acted together. The defense disputes the prosecution’s interpretation of the incident and the severity of the charges. One defense lawyer argued that a combination of factors, including social media, video games, the teenagers’ environment, lack of activities and bad company, contributed to what happened. The lawyers also dispute that the teenagers intended to kill Kuzev. Their position is that the initial objective was “beating and humiliation,” rather than murder, and that the decision to attack him was made impulsively. They have argued that the charges should instead be reconsidered as causing death through negligence following bodily harm. The lawyers representing the two girls have also stressed their different alleged roles. According to the defense, the girls were present and filmed the incident but did not directly inflict physical violence, meaning they should not be treated as co-perpetrators of intentional murder. At the same time, a large number of claims have emerged online that have not been established by investigators. Among them are allegations that the teenagers belong to a satanic or organized neo-Nazi group. Four of the defendants appeared in court wearing shirts featuring black metal bands, including Mayhem, a group associated with a history of murders and church burnings. Images from their online profiles have also been cited as showing gestures linked to neo-Nazi movements. (…) Another theory centers on gestures allegedly associated with Russian neo-fascist Maxim Marcinkevich, known by the nickname “Chopstick,” who founded the Factor 18 movement and promoted an anti-pedophile campaign known as “Occupy-pedophile.” Photos showing some of the detained teenagers making similar gestures have fueled claims that they belong to an organized neo-Nazi cell and that the attack may have been ordered by an outside structure. However, the available evidence establishes only that the teenagers used certain symbols and gestures in an online environment. There is no evidence at this stage that they were members of an organized neo-Nazi group or that someone ordered the attack. Prosecutors have not charged them with participation in an organized criminal group with an ideological purpose; Plovdiv: Court Rejects Release of the Two Girls Accused in Georgi Kuzev Murder. The Court of Appeal in Plovdiv has upheld the detention of the two teenage girls accused in the killing of 37-year-old Georgi Kuzev, rejecting their lawyers’ requests for release under parental supervision. The ruling is final. The decision followed two court sessions lasting nearly two hours each, while several hundred people gathered outside the courthouse demanding severe punishment for those responsible. Protesters shouted “Long live,” “Murderers” and “Mafia” and called for everyone involved in the incident to be held accountable. (…) According to the defense, the two girls were not involved in the beating or the killing. Their lawyers therefore argued that detention was unnecessary and that parental supervision would be sufficient. The prosecution maintains a different position, citing evidence of the girls’ alleged active participation. The appellate court has now rejected the defense request, leaving all five accused minors in custody. According to the supplied reports, the five minors could face between three and 12 years in prison if convicted of intentional murder, reflecting the applicable penalties for offenders who were minors at the time of the alleged crime. The investigation remains ongoing, with prosecutors and investigators continuing to examine video recordings, witness accounts and other evidence concerning the events that led to Kuzev’s death; Bulgarian Man Killed After Being Lured to Meet Teenager, Police Say A man died of his injuries in Bulgaria’s second city, Plovdiv, after police said his attackers enticed him to a fake meeting with a teenage girl via a dating app, with the intention of livestreaming their assault. Police in Bulgaria’s second biggest city, Plovdiv, said on Thursday that they have made eight arrests over the death of a man who was lured by teenagers to a meeting with “a 17-year-old girl, posing as a 15-year-old” and then severely beaten up. Police told a press conference that the teenagers had concocted a scheme to track, lure and then attack alleged paedophiles, and then livestream the beatings. Their victim, who was assaulted on Tuesday at a site near Youth Hill, a location near many of the tourist sights close to the centre of Plovdiv, has been named as Georgi Kuzev. After being assaulted, Kuzev was discovered by passers-by and taken to hospital. Nova TV said he had suffered a severe brain injury and various fractures. He died several hours later. The incident was initially reported by media as having potentially been a homophobic attack, after other such attacks in Plovdiv in 2020, sparking outrage from LGBTQ+ rights groups.