A new Danish documentary sheds light on the 1978 murder of Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov in London, raising questions about why the prime suspect, Italian-born Bulgarian agent Francesco Gullino, was never arrested. Markov was killed on Waterloo Bridge when a man jabbed him with a poison-tipped umbrella, injecting a ricin pellet into his leg. He died four days later.
The documentary, The Umbrella Murder, directed by Ulrik Skotte, examines the life of Gullino, known as Agent Piccadilly, who worked for Bulgarian intelligence for years. Despite Scotland Yard identifying him as the main suspect, Gullino remained free until his death in 2021. Skotte described him as a 'master in infiltration' who could adapt to any environment.
Gullino was born in Italy in 1945 and orphaned young. After being arrested for smuggling in Bulgaria in 1970, he was recruited by the country's intelligence service. His file contains details of training and false passports, but pages relating to the months around Markov's murder are missing, likely purged during the collapse of communism.
Circumstantial evidence links Gullino to the crime: a fake passport shows he was in London weeks before the murder, he underwent 'special training' in Bulgaria beforehand, and he met the intelligence chief for dinner—a rare honour for a foreign agent. After the killing, he signalled success in Rome and received a top award.
Markov, a writer who defected from Bulgaria and worked for the BBC, initially had his poisoning claims dismissed by British authorities until a ricin pellet was found in his leg. Scotland Yard interviewed Gullino in 1993 but made no arrest. Skotte's documentary also explores the mysterious death of a friend who had discussed Gullino in a previous film.
