Ripped from the script of an action thriller movie, a mysterious man pointed a pistol at a top Bulgarian politician while he was giving a speech at his party's annual conference at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia on Saturday.
This real life dramatic scene was captured on video as Ahmed Dogan, the leader of the Turkish minority Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) party, was giving a resignation speech as the chief of the organization which he founded in 1990, according to the Russian Times.
As he was speaking, a man identified as Oktai Enimehmedov abruptly approached him on stage and pointed a gun inches away from his temple. Instantly the politician flinched and then smacked the gun out of the gunman's hand. Following, the armed man was was attacked by a swamp of angry man.
The graphic footage shows Enimehmedov being hit, punched and kicked by security and angry politicians as cameras rushed to capture the scene on stage. The 25-year-old gunman was previously convicted on assault and gun charges.
"Such an act is unacceptable in a democratic country. In the name of all Bulgarians, I want to convey the outrage caused by this act of violence," said President Rossen Plevneliev.
Some skeptics accuse the Turkish leader of setting the incident up to make himself look good and gain political favor noting that the armed man had plenty of time to fire his weapon. Although his party is liberal, Dogan is seen as a politicizing figure and referred to as "the Falcon" by both his allies and opponents. He is also accused of being intolerant of dissent within his party and exploiting his position for personal gains and profits from large corporations.
You can watch the graphic video below.