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The Thessaloniki Bombers – April 15-19 th 1903. Bulgaria After San Stefano Treaty And Berlin Congress 1878. Revolutionary Movement.
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Revolutionary Movement • ВМОРО ( Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO)- initially was helping the bombers- goal: autonomous Macedonia and Adrianople regions- secret revolutionary society operating in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
The bombers and their Goals • Jordan Popjordanov also known as Jiordan Orgadtzie; Kostadin Kirkov, Milan Arsov, Dimitar Metchev, Georgi Bogdanov, Ilija Trutchkov, Vladimir Pingov, Marko Boshnakov, Trayko Tsvetkov, Pavel Shtatev • Attract the attention of the Great Powers to the Ottoman oppression in Macedonia and Eastern Thrace.
Gathering of the Bombers and Original Plan • The Boatmen of Thessaloniki were a descendant of a founded in 1895 in Plovdiv ”Macedonian Secret Revolutionary Committee", which was developed later in Genève (Michail Gerdjikov, Petar Mandjukov and Slavi Merdjanov) • Slavi Merdjanov moved to the Bulgarian school in Thessaloniki, where he worked as teacher and sparked some of his ideas among the graduates
Original Plan 1898 • Initial target- Tsarigrad (Istanbul):-Assassination of the Sultan AbdulHamid II-Blow up the Ottoman Bank • Decide to make parallel bombing in Tsarigrad and Thessaloniki in order to magnify the effect • Abandon the idea for assassination of the Sultan, because it was too unrealistic • Start digging tunnels under both banks
Fail of the Original Plan • In 1901 a letter from Tsarigrad to Thessaloniki fall into the arms of the Turkish police, most of the Bombers are arrested. • Later they are released • ВМОРО (IMRO) stop supporting and financing the Bombers – afraid that this act will have negative impact upon Bulgaria as a whole • Find new financing from Boris Sarafov in Genève, and start to develop new plan
Final Plan and its Execution • Organize series of bombing attempts in Thessaloniki • Managed to obtain 160 kg. of dynamite • Because the dynamite was not enough they abandon the idea to blow up the postal office in Adrianople • January 1903, start digging new tunnel to the Ottoman Bank • Goce Delchev and Dame Gruev (Leaders of IMRO) asked the Bombers to postpone and even quit the idea of bombing • Plans for new sewer system in Thessaloniki triggers the bombers to act immediately after Eastern
April 15th 1903 – Day one • Pavel Shatev used a suitcase full with dynamite to blow up the French ship “Guadalquivir” • All passengers and the crew were evacuated on time, only one person was injured • Leaving Thessaloniki immediately but captured on the station in Skopie
April 15th 1903 – Day one • DimitarMechev, IliyaTrachkov, and Milan Arsov, unsuccessfully struck the railway between Thessaloniki and Tsarigrad • Caused slight damage to the locomotive and few cars without wounding any passengers • Managed to return to the headquarters and continue with the plan • IliyaTrachkovIliyaTrachkov • Milan Arsov
April 16th 1903- Day Two • The Bombers attack their major target – Ottoman Bank • Kostadin Kirkov used explosives to shut off the electricity and water supply systems of the city • Jordan Popjordanov blew up the building of the Ottoman Bank (4 killed, 5 injured)
April 16th 1903- Day Two • Jordan Popjordanov was the leader of the Bombers • Kostadin Kirkov • Both of them managed to return to their apartments in Thessaloniki
April 16th 1903- Day Two • Milan Arsov threw a bomb in the "Alhabra" theatre • One man was killed and one was injured • Georgi Bogdanov throw a bomb in front of one Greek cafeteria, no one was injured • Dimitar Mechev and Iliya Truchkov failed to blast the reservoir of a gas-producing plan, later during that night after throwing more than 60 bombs out of the windows of their apartment both were killed • Vladimir Pingov set on fire one inn and was later killed
April 17th 1903- Day Three • In the morning Jordan Popjordanov started throwing bombs outside his window • After the Turkish police had surrounded him and he run out of bombs he got shoot
April 18th 1903- Day Four • Kostadin Kirkov was killed while trying to blow up a postal office • He was spotted by the police and stabbed just before setting the bomb • Cvetko Traikov mission was to kill the local governor Hasan Hefmi – unsuccessful • While waiting for the governor in front of his summer house he was spotted by the police and committed suicide by blowing his bomb
Results • According to western diplomats 10 people were killed and 16 were injured • 6 from the Bombers were killed, the other 4 were captured and sentenced to death • Later they were reprieve and imprisoned to life • The bombings did not manage to achieve their initial goals of attracting the attention of the Great Powers to the Ottoman oppression in Macedonia and Eastern Thrace in the way the bombers wanted. • On 19th of April The Turkish army engaged a massive repression upon the Bulgarians in Thessaloniki • Many innocent Bulgarians were killed • The officials acknowledge the death of 35 Bulgarians
Results • According to ВМОРО (IMRO) the victims were between 200-300 • The repressions moved to Bitola and Veles • More than 2000 people were arrested and 353 were brought to court • During the trial the bombers admit the help of ВМОРО (IMRO) and many of the members were captured • Milan Arsov and Marko Bushnakov died in prison • GeorgiBogdanov got insane short after the bombings • PavelShatev and GeorgiBogdanov were released from prison during 1908 after a revolution in the empire. • PavelShatev died on the 29th of January 1951, the date of death for Bogdanov is unknown
