Replies

Note: The following text is a quote:

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=71316

you are here: Home > Reports > Safety and Security Reports > Report
Bulgaria-Based Missionaries Attacked Twice in July
Safety & Security
Europe - Bulgaria
25 Jul 2007

Printer Friendly Email Article
Related Reports
10 Apr 2007
Worldwide Caution Public Announcement
5 Mar 2007
Bulgaria 2007 Crime & Safety Report
The following report was compiled based on constituent incident sharing.

In July 2007, OSAC received two reports of missionaries being assaulted in Bulgaria. One incident occurred in the capital, Sofia, and the second took place in Stara Zagora, the country’s third largest city.

On July 3, two female missionaries were assaulted by a male in the Doctor’s Park neighborhood of Sofia. The women were talking to a few people in the park when a man began yelling at them. One of the missionaries is handicapped and was unable to quickly leave the area; the man grabbed her arm and twisted it painfully behind her back. One onlooker yelled at the man, causing him to be distracted enough for the missionaries to leave the park. Significantly, this same man assaulted two other missionaries in April. Local police have been notified.

On July 21, two male missionaries were assaulted by six intoxicated men in a park in Stara Zagora. As they were walking through the park, the men told the missionaries that they should not be teaching a foreign religion. The missionaries tried to leave, but one of the men knocked a missionary to the ground and four other men grabbed and held a second missionary. Two men punched and kicked the missionary lying on the ground, then seized his briefcase and left the scene. This incident is also noteworthy, as the police were able to recognize the group by description - they are infamous for causing disturbances in the park.

These two incidents serve as excellent examples to OSAC constituents to report any security infraction to the RSO and local authorities. In both attacks, the perpetrators were known to the police, who can now keep a closer watch on the locations where the assaults occurred.

Thanks for ping and link to the OSAC website. I’m bookmarking it.

The number attacks on missionaries in foreign countries is increasing. Time is short.

In checking the reports for Moscow, I knew there was a high alert in May based on the number of added policemen on the streets and metro in our area. We witnessed a few car searches and arrests as we were walking to church. Thank God they caught the car bombers before they were able to carry out their plans.