The assassination attempt on the Bulgarian prosecutor, which became known this week, could have been staged, writes POLITICO with reference to authoritative Bulgarian politicians.. They doubt the plausibility of the official version of events.

As reported on Monday, the country's chief prosecutor, Ivan Geshev, remained unharmed after an explosive device detonated on the side of the road as he drove by..

The head of the National Investigation Service, Borislav Sarafov, spoke of an “extremely strong” explosion that created a huge pillar of fire and left a three-meter-wide crater on the road..

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Reporters who reached the scene of the explosion within hours found only a small patch of slightly crumpled grass, prompting instant ridicule on social media.. Some of the country's most prominent opposition figures have also joined the skeptics..

“The consequences of the alleged explosion look more like someone was trying to ‘scare the rabbits’ than an assassination attempt,” ironically Asen Vasilev, co-founder of the anti-corruption party Continue Changes..

Geshev is a controversial figure in Bulgaria. As Attorney General, he has the power to bring criminal charges against would-be criminals who opposition leaders say have infiltrated the state at the highest levels.. However, he doesn't, so corrupt officials likely staged an assassination attempt to prevent calls to bring him to justice..

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“This planned assassination aims to undermine the radical reform of the prosecutor’s office by glorifying the victim,” said Atanas Atanasov, co-chairman of the Democratic Bulgaria party, adding that there is “clear evidence of staging”.

Ilian Vasilev, a former ambassador to Moscow, compared the incident to Russian disinformation and said it could portend crackdowns..

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On Thursday, Europol said it had offered to join the investigation..

The Bulgarian Interior Ministry declined to comment..

On April 28, the Prosecutor General of Bulgaria Geshev was on a working visit to Kyiv, where he signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andrey Kostin, and also discussed Bulgaria's assistance in investigating Russian war crimes on the territory of Ukraine.

Due to the ongoing political crisis in Bulgaria, there is growing support for the pro-Russian Vozrozhdeniye party, Kostadin Kostadinov, who received 14.4% of the vote in the last elections and finished in third place (although in November 2021 it had less than 5%).