St Nedelya Church assault — April 1925 terrorist incident in Sofia, Bulgaria
The St Nedelya Church bombing killed over 200 people, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in Bulgarian history and in Europe until 1985.
Key Facts
- Date
- 16 April 1925
- Deaths
- Over 200 people
- Injured
- Around 500 people
- Perpetrators
- Military Organisation of the Bulgarian Communist Party
- Target
- St Nedelya Church, Sofia
- European record held until
- Air India Flight 182, 1985
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Bulgarian Communist Party's Military Organisation, directed and supplied by Soviet Military Intelligence, sought to assassinate Bulgaria's political and military leadership. General Konstantin Georgiev had been killed in a prior communist assault on 14 April 1925, drawing the elite to his funeral service at St Nedelya Church, creating an opportunity for a mass attack.
On 16 April 1925, communist operatives detonated explosives that destroyed the roof of St Nedelya Church in Sofia during the funeral of General Georgiev. The blast killed over 200 attendees, predominantly from Bulgaria's political and military elite, and wounded approximately 500 other worshipers present at the liturgy.
The bombing remains the deadliest terrorist act in Bulgarian history and was the deadliest in Europe for six decades, until the Air India Flight 182 bombing in 1985. The attack provoked a severe government crackdown on the Bulgarian Communist Party and left a lasting mark on Bulgarian national memory and security policy.