Lots of buzz about this video last night, but I didn’t actually see it until today — and it’s definitely noteworthy, if a bit puzzling.  The gun misfired, but it was a gas pistol, used to fire teargas cartridges only; it’s a non-lethal weapon in most applications, although at the range the assassin had, it likely would have killed Ahmed Dogan. The would-be Czolgolsz also had knives on him, not that it did much good, as the crowd began beating him once he was subdued. For a man with drug and robbery convictions, the perp didn’t seem very professional, but maybe that’s why he has convictions, too.

The odd choice of weapon had some speculating that the entire thing was a stunt:

Some politicians and analysts being interviewed by local media in Bulgaria have speculated that the attack was not an assassination attempt and may even have been staged.

Well, that should be a fun story to follow in eastern Europe over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, we can watch the video and marvel that the gun didn’t fire, and wonder what was going through the politician’s mind when all he heard was the click.