BULGARIAN OUTRAGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18994, 16 April 1925, Page 7

BULGARIAN OUTRAGE.

KING BORIS ATTACKED. FIiSILAOE OF BULLETS. TWO ATTENDANTS KILLED. THE CHAUFFEUR WOUNDED. HIS MAJESTY UNINJURED. By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright. (Received 9.33 p.m.) Renter. SOFIA. Apl. 15. An unsuccessful attempt to assassinate King Boris of Bulgaria was made to-day. The motor-car in which the King was travelling to Sofia was ambushed outside the city by an Agrarian-Communist band. The assassins fired a fusilade of bullets at the car. As a result two attendants were killed and tho chauffeur was wounded. His Majesty escaped uninjured. Troops are now scouring the countrywide in search of the assailants. This is the second outrage which has occurred near Sofia recently. The first was when General Gheorghieff, a member of the Chamber of Deputies and leader of tho movement to overthrow the Stamboulislti Government, was assassinated outside his residence.

The ;iltuck fin King Boris of Bulgaria is the climax to a long reign of terror in that country. Since the murder of Todor Alexandroff, the Macedonian leader, last .August, political assassination has been rife in Bulgaria. M. Mileft', Ministerdesignate to the United States, was murdered in the streets of Sofia on 1' ebruary 13; the crime was attributed variously to the Federalist Macedonians and the Communists—two parties which have recently become more and more intimately allied. M. Strachiruiroff, a Communist deputy, was murdered on February 16. In the Sobranye, on February 19. Government deputies pointed out that two members of Parliament, had been assassinated within <l week and asked for information in regard to the measures the Administration proposed to take. The killing of M. Strachimiroff, which was generally regarded as an outcome of the murder of M. Mileff, brought forth protests in certain sections of the Democratic Entente, which held the view that "reprisals" could not do any good. On the other hand, what may be described as the military wing of the Government party insisted on the "necessity" of showing the Communists and kindred spirits that violence would be met by ruthless counter-violence. lyeplying to questions regarding the assassinut'ions, the Minister for the Interior. M. Rousseff, said the Agrarian-Communist group, which was formed of Communists, terrorists, and extremist Agrarians, was systematically pursuing by crimes ot #very kind ft policy of extorniinn-tion prominent persons in the present Administration. The Government was informed that the directing committee of this group at the present moment had sentenced to death several members of the Government, the Prefect of Police in Sofia, and others. M. Bmisseff declared Hint the Government would be obliged to roplv to the terrorist tactics of these subversive elements by icpressive measures. I'or this purpose the Chamber would be asked to vote laws to strengthen the legal penalties now in force. It was then reportod that the authorities had discovered at Sumen a secret Communist organisation with a large membership both in the town and in the surrounding villages. About thirty arrests were made. In the 50 days preceding February 20 there were in Bulgaria 36 political murders, 152 murders for unknown reasons. and 162 attempted murders, while 272 people were assaulted and injured.