Iraqi Ali Mohammad Taher (41) was shot dead with crossbow at about 9.30 am in the centre of Sofia.

Witnesses said that a man with a dark complexion, about 170cm tall, and wielding a crossbow had been seen in the streets near the shop where Taher worked. Minutes later the man was seen moving in the opposite direction.

Taher worked in an Arab goods shop for the past four or five years, Focus news agency reported.

The victim had no next of kin and had not been threatened, Focus said.

Taher was shot in the stomach and was hospitalised in the Pirogov emergency centre, where he died.