Roma 'King Kiro' arrested in Bulgaria

An alleged Roma crime boss in Bulgaria under police protection since violent disturbances in his village at the weekend has been arrested, the government said Wednesday. "Kiril Rachkov was arrested at 1:00 am (2200 GMT) this morning. He is accused of issuing murder threats," Veselin Vuchkov, deputy interior minister, said in parliament. The 69-year-old faces six years in prison if convicted. Nicknamed "King Kiro", he is widely suspected of being involved in a range of criminal activities, and locals in his home village of Katunitsa accuse authorities of turning a blind eye. Some 2,000 people rallied in Katunitsa last weekend after a van driven by one of his relatives hit and killed a local youth. Three empty houses belonging to Rachkov were set on fire and three police officers were injured. Nightly demonstrations have taken place around Bulgaria since, involving chants of anti-Roma, anti-Turkish and even Nazi slogans, and "Roma Pride" marches set for October 1 have been cancelled because of fear of clashes.