The brutal killing of a 37-year-old man by teenagers in Plovdiv has exposed a neo-nazi subculture in Bulgaria’s second city, including an established Blood & Honour network.

Georgi Kuzev was lured to Plovdiv’s Youth Hill on 4 August by teenagers posing online as a girl. The group claimed to be hunting paedophiles, but prosecutors say Kuzev was beaten for more than an hour while the attack was filmed. He later died in hospital.

Five teenagers, three boys and two girls aged 14 to 17, have been charged with murder.

Nazi presence

Nazi imagery and gestures have featured in material connected with the group and the investigation has subsequently led police to a much older and more established neo-nazi presence in Plovdiv.

On the night of 15–16 August, police and Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security (DANS) raided a private club opposite Youth Hill, detaining 18 people identified by police as being affiliated with Blood & Honour. The premises had reportedly been used for meetings by the group for the last two years.

Police found nazi flags bearing swastikas and other prohibited symbols, together with neo-nazi literature and other extremist material. A gas pistol was also reportedly recovered.

The premises had not been unknown to police: officers had searched the club in November 2023 and found swastikas and similar material, although the resulting investigation was subsequently closed.

The arrests initially numbered 18, including three girls, one aged 17. Among those detained was an 18-year-old recently released on bail in connection with an alleged assault on Nepalese nationals. His father and brother were also detained.

Criminal charges

Investigators have identified links between some of those detained and people connected with the Youth Hill killing, but have not established a direct organisational connection.

The investigation has nevertheless produced its first criminal charges. Prosecutors subsequently charged three of the detainees with inciting discrimination, hatred and violence on racial, national or ethnic grounds. Two are father and son; the third is the tenant of the club. Searches of their homes reportedly uncovered further neo-Nazi literature.

Blood & Honour is not a newly arrived influence in Plovdiv. It first emerged in 2003 as a group called Plovdiv 28, before linking up with the international Blood & Honour network in 2009.

Earlier police assessments reportedly put the membership at between 40 and 50, some with links to football hooligan groups.