Suspicion: Shamil Leviev from Bat Yam killed Israeli professor in Bulgaria

31-year-old Shmil Leviev from Bat Yam was arrested in Israel on suspicion of murdering Israeli professor Andrey Atanasov in Sofia. The court extended his detention by 20 days. Leviev was arrested under an international warrant. The professor was beaten to death at a metro station in mid-October. Investigators are examining financial ties.

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 under 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 line of inquiry into the murder.