Suspect in Bulgarian journalist slaying arrested in Germany

A portrait of slain television reporter Viktoria Marinova is placed on the Liberty Monument next to flowers and candles during a vigil in Ruse, Bulgaria, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Filip Dvorski)

Officials in Bulgaria say a suspect in the rape and killing of an investigative journalist has been arrested in Germany. Bulgaria’s prosecutor general, Sotir Tsatsarov, confirmed the arrest of Severin Krasimirov, a Bulgarian citizen, but gave no further details.

Interior Minister Mladen Marinov said investigators had found DNA evidence on the clothes and body of Viktoria Marinova, who was raped and killed on Saturday in the northern town of Ruse.

“There is physical evidence to link to the murder,” Marinov said Wednesday. He said Krasimirov, a resident of Ruse, had a criminal record for scrap metal theft.

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The minister said investigators had spoken to Marinova’s family and friends and “there is no apparent link to her work.”

Marinova, 30, hosted a show last month featuring two investigative journalists who were detained for their work on suspected fraud involving EU funds.