The suspect accused of setting fire to two diplomatic vehicles belonging to the Bulgarian Embassy in Skopje, who was arrested in record time following the incident, and whose actions were, quite tellingly, tracked and filmed on a mobile phone by someone from the embassy as he moved in a full circle, pleaded guilty Friday to the act committed on June 15, 2026.
“I plead guilty. I decided to do it on my own,” the defendant said before the court.
The person in question is a 44-year-old resident of Skopje who, on June 15, 2026, at approximately 12:05 p.m., set fire to two diplomatic vehicles parked in front of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria on Mitropolit Teodosij Gologanov Street in Skopje.
On the day of the incident, he left his home and traveled by bus to the center of Skopje. At a Makpetrol gas station near the embassy, he filled a plastic bottle with gasoline, then crossed the street and approached the parked diplomatic vehicles. He doused them with the gasoline, ignited them using a lighter, and immediately fled the scene.
The vehicles that were set on fire were used by Bulgaria’s military attaché and other staff members of the diplomatic mission. The incident sparked public reaction, and the police identified and detained the suspect that same day.
Initially, the Skopje Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) initiated proceedings for the criminal offense of “Causing General Danger.” Following the emergence of additional information, the case was taken over by the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecuting Organized Crime and Corruption (PPO-OCC), which filed an indictment on September 16 for the criminal offense of endangering persons under international protection.
During Friday’s hearing, it was noted that the defendant was of sound mind at the time the offense was committed; however, certain disorders were identified, and consequently, an expert witness will be called to testify before the court.