Boris "Bobbie" Tsankov, a prominent crime journalist who reported on the mafia in Bulgaria, has been killed by gunmen in the capital, Sofia.

鲍里斯·博比·灿可夫，保加利亚一位杰出的报道黑手党犯罪的记者在首都索菲亚被枪杀。

Tsankov was gunned down in a busy district of Bulgaria's capital

The 30-year-old, who was also a popular radio host主持人, was attacked on a crowded street in the city centre, police said.

Two men who were with him were also shot and critically危急地 wounded, before the gunmen escaped on foot.

In 2008, Georgi Stoev, the author of several books on Bulgarian organised crime, was killed in a similar attack.

Months later, Bulgaria lost access to接近，进入 more than 500m euros (£430m) of EU funding for failing to deal with corruption¹ and organised crime.

Since his book The Secrets of the Mobsters犯罪集团成员 was published last November, Mr Tsankov said he had received numerous death threats.

The book - based on his contacts with underworld bosses such as the drug dealer² Anton Miltenov - who was shot dead in 2005 - alleged³ links between mafia黑手党 figures and businessmen.