A right-wing presidential candidate in Bulgaria was detained and indicted following a weekend attack on an LGBTQ community center in Sofia, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Boyan Rasate was detained for 72 hours and charged with hooliganism and infliction of an injury. The charges were made after his legal immunity as a presidential candidate was lifted ten days to election day, the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

"The crimes committed stand out with their extreme audacity and disrespect for the democratic foundations of the state," prosecutors said in a statement.

Rasate led a group of 10 people into Rainbow Hub’s office in the nation’s capital and stormed in during a trans community event late on Saturday. The Bilitis Foundation, which runs the center, said the politician proceeded to hit an employee in the face and overturn stalls and tables.

Radio Free Europe noted that activist Gloria Filipova claimed she was the one punched in the face by Rasate. She also said he was carrying a knife.

Rasate, 50, has not admitted any guilt and has declined to make a statement, prosecutors said.

The ambassadors of the U.S., the U.K., Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain have spoken up on Monday about the attacks, saying they “strongly condemn” the “senseless attack.” They used hashtags like #LoveIsLove, #NoHate and #Pride to express their support for the LGBTQ community.

The Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, Dunja Mijatovic, pressed Bulgarian authorities to conduct “swift investigation & prosecute the perpetrators.”

“The attack against Sofia’s LGBTI RainbowHub is another worrying example of mounting threats against NGOs working for #equalrights for the LGBTI community,” she said in a Tweet.

Rasate, who was sentenced for violating public order during Sofia's first gay parade in 2008, faces up to five years in jail if convicted, Reuters noted.

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