Bulgarian authorities said on Wednesday that Alexey Petrov, an ex-secret agent turned businessman, was shot dead in broad daylight in Sofia. 

Petrov had escaped previous assassination attempts against him in Bulgaria, authorities said.

Senior Interior Ministry official Petar Todorov told reporters that Petrov was walking in Bulgaria's capital Sofia with a female companion when a "shot was fired." The woman is said to have also been injured in the attack.

Petrov's rollercoaster career from secret agent to businessman and government adviser symbolized his country's rocky transition from communism to democracy.

There had been two previous attempts on his life, one in 2002, when he was allegedly wounded amid a drug war, and a 2015 attack, from which he emerged unscathed. 

Links to organized crime  

In recent years, the 61-year-old ran one of the biggest insurance companies in the country. He also served as an adviser to the head of the State Agency for National Security.

Nicknamed "the tractor" for his uncompromising character, he was arrested and charged in 2010 with running a criminal group engaged in extortion, racketeering, drug trafficking, money laundering, and tax evasion.

Petrov was released on bail and eventually acquitted. In 2011, he unsuccessfully ran for president of Bulgaria. 

jcg/rs (AFP, AP)