Gas pistol pointed at Bulgaria party leader

A Bulgarian opposition politician narrowly escaped an assassination attempt during a televised speech on Saturday, when a man climbed on the stage next to him and pointed a gun to his head at point-blank range.

Ahmed Dogan, the leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), which represents the Turkish minority in Bulgaria, escaped unharmed after his would-be assassin was wrestled to the ground by security guards, during the party congress in the capital Sofia.

President Rosen Plevneliev said in a statement: "Bulgarian society is traditionally known for its tolerance, mutual acceptance and respect between different ethnic groups and religions. Such an act is unacceptable in a democratic state." The incident was the most serious attack on a politician in Bulgaria since Andrei Lukanov, a former prime minsiter, was found shot dead near his home in Sofia in 1996.

Having joined the European Union in 1997, Bulgarian citizens can move to the UK for work after temporary limits expire at the end of this year. Any Bulgarian who has been working legally as an employee in the UK for 12 months without a break will have full rights of free movement, Guardian reports.