Maltese and Turkish police working together on Bulgarian’s murder case

Police are working closely with their Turkish counterparts to try and locate Mustafa Kosogeli, the man wanted in connection with the murder of a Bulgarian woman last week, sources said.

The two police forces are in contact through the international police agency Interpol in an effort to apprehend the 29-year-old suspect, who is believed to have lived with the victim in a Qawra apartment.

Mr Kosogeli is wanted by Maltese police for questioning over the murder of 38-year-old Irena Abadzhieva, who was found dead with 40 stab wounds in her apartment on Saturday.

Although Interpol has not yet issued an international arrest warrant against Mr Kosogeli, it was “gathering information about the case”, sources said.

Mr Kosogeli, a Turkish national, was caught on camera catching a flight to Turkey on June 2 – four days after the crime is thought to have occurred.

Sources said the Turkish authorities confirmed he had landed in his home country later that day. He had been in Malta illegally on a travel visa that expired about four years ago.

Ms Abadzhieva’s mutilated body was discovered after neighbours and the flat owner informed the police of a foul smell coming out from the apartment in Tourists Street.

At about 1 p. m., the owner opened the door of the apartment to let the police in and they found Ms Abadzhieva’s badly decomposed body wrapped in bed linen and lying on a couch.