Israeli man arrested for murder of professor in Bulgaria

Shamil Leviev, 31, from Bat Yam, was arrested in Israel on suspicion of murdering Israeli professor Andrey Atanasov in Sofia, Bulgaria. Atanasov was beaten to death at a metro station in mid-October. Leviev's remand was extended by 20 days pending extradition.

31-year-old Shmil Leviev from Bat Yam was arrested on November 13 in Israel on suspicion of murdering Israeli professor Andrey Atanasov in Sofia, Bulgaria. The court extended his detention by 20 days. Leviev was arrested on the basis of an international arrest warrant. In mid-October 2026, Professor Atanasov was brutally beaten to death at a metro station in the Bulgarian capital. Investigators are examining possible financial ties between Atanasov and the suspect as one of the lines of inquiry into the murder.