2008 Zagreb bombing
Encyclopedia
The 23 October 2008 Zagreb bombing was an attack by a remote-detonation car bomb
fitted on a motorcycle outside the Croatia
n Nacional
newspaper's premises in the Croatian capital, Zagreb
. The attack killed the owner of the newspaper, Ivo Pukanić
, and Niko Franjić, its marketing manager, and injured two more people. The explosion occurred in the centre of the capital at 18:10 local time (16:10 GMT). A state of emergency
was quickly enacted, followed by numerous arrests of suspects around the country. A subsequent police investigation accused Croatian and Serbian organized crime
groups of perpetrating the bombing. Eight people suspected of having connections to organised crime groups were indicted. Six were later convicted over the murders with prison terms ranging from 15 to 40 years.
, Pukanić approached his Lexus LS 600h L
with Niko Franjić, the Nacional director of marketing. According to first news report, a bomb placed in the trash can next to the car exploded soon after. However, an October 25 special edition of Večernji list
dedicated to the bombing put the bomb on a motorcycle parked next to Lexus which then exploded before the two men had a chance to enter the car. Pukanić was instantly killed by the blast while Franjić remained alive for a few more seconds. Two graphic design students from a nearby school were injured by shrapnel
. The incident happened on a parking lot in Palmotićeva Street, near Stara Vlaška Street and Josip Lang Square, only two street blocks east of the main Zagreb square, Ban Jelačić Square
. Police immediately blocked the traffic around the site of assassination, causing immense traffic jams all over the city center. A man was seen running away from the explosion down Palmotićeva Street. He was described as being in his early thirties, wearing a baseball cap and running with no regard for traffic.
The police have reported finding security camera
footage of a possible perpetrator parking the deadly motorcycle. CCTV footage of several suspicious events around the building on the day of the attack, including the footage of the explosion itself, was examined by court and publicly released in March 2010.
denounced the attack and declared that he would not allow "Croatia to become Beirut
," though he declined a proposal for entering a state of emergency
. He further stated that, "This is no longer merely a fight against organized crime... this is something all of us in Croatia will rise up against." Mirjana Pukanić, Ivo's estranged wife with whom he was involved with in a very public scandal earlier in the year, was shocked to find out about the assassination.
The editorial board
of Nacional reacted by accusing the police of Pukanić's death by failure to provide police protection. They stated that Pukanić's round-the-clock protection by two police officers was lifted on August 1 not by Pukanić's request in his right mind, but under a pressure from the police. Pukanić allegedly received two death threats after the end of the protection and promptly forwarded them to the police, but they failed to act upon them. The redaction also condemned the prosecution office for investigating false accusations against Pukanić instead of concentrating on finding his April assailant. As of now, there are only informal speculations as to the motive of the assassin.
The media have called for a special anti-mafia operation similar to the Serbian "Saber" Operation concluded after the assassination
of the former Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić, which resulted in hundreds of arrests and a substantial decrease of Serbian mafia activities. However, there has been no news so far from the police department as to a possible operation. Such an action was already called for by the Zagreb's influential newspapers after the murder of Ivana Hodak, the daughter of a prominent Zagreb lawyer who was defending a controversial former army general .
Stjepan Mesić
said the attack meant "terrorism has become a fact on the streets of Zagreb
." He went on to state Pukanić feared for his life before the accident. According to Mesić's words, Mirjana Pukanić called Mesić to ask Ivo Pukanić to send her some money. Mesić called Ivo and, aside from Mirjana's request, inquired about the police investigation of the April assassination attempt. Pukanić replied that the police have not made much progress since the crime itself, but he added that he was in a great fear for his life. Mesić declared that he was not aware what were the reasons and who were the authors of the threats. He recommended the police to interrogate Mirjana Pukanić, although he did not publicly state what she would be able to say. He also said he would be willing to subject to a police interrogation himself. Mirjana Pukanić was vexed by President Mesić's recommendations and the claim about begging for Ivo Pukanić's money. She stated she has lived in a women's shelter
for six months without money, and that she only asked Mesić to speed up the divorce process started by her.
at first declined the possibility of introducing a state of emergency
. However, the following day Sanader approved the proposal and ordered 250 additional police officers to the city. He called the killing an "assassination" as he vowed to fight mafia
crime that threatens his country's attempt to join the EU. Sanader said the police authority would be widened, trials would be speeded up, and a DNA database
for convicted criminals would be created. During the state of emergency, the police would also have the right to confiscate illegally obtained property.
The announcement of the state of emergency was quickly followed by a release of a facial composite
of the man from the crime scene and a large police operation, which resulted in 9 arrests in Zagreb and 20 in Rijeka
during its first day. The chief of Croatian police, Vladimir Faber, stated all figures from Croatian underground connected to Pukanić will be interrogated.
pistol
at close range. Pukanić crouched as the perpetrator pointed his gun at him and successfully dodged the bullet, which created a hole in the window of a nearby gift shop
. The perpetrator's gun subsequently jammed, enabling Pukanić to pull his legally-owned Glock 17
out of his bag. Pukanić fired a warning shot, causing the perpetrator to flee the crime scene. A facial composite of the perpetrator, who was unmasked and wore a dark knitted cap
, was publicly released five days after the attack.
The police suspected the attempt to be a warning to Pukanić, intended to discourage him from certain activities. Police protection was assigned to Pukanić immediately following the event. However, it was lifted on August 1, 2008, just over two and a half months before the October 23 bombing, as there were no further threats in the months following the assassination attempt.
killing of an 18-year-old Bad Blue Boys
football fan in March, followed by a retaliation by other BBB members. A mob beating with deadly consequences at a bus stop in the high-traffic Većeslav Holjevac Avenue ensued.
The latest in the stream of crime events was the murder of Ivana Hodak, the daughter of Zvonimir Hodak, the lawyer who defended alleged war profiteer general Vladimir Zagorec. The murder caused the Prime Minister Ivo Sanader
to fire Marijan Benko, chief of Zagreb Police Department, Berislav Rončević
, Minister of Internal Affairs and Ana Lovrin, Minister of Justice. Rončević was replaced by Tomislav Karamarko and Lovrin by Ivan Šimonović
. However, this case was in February 2009 attributed by the police to a homeless unemployed man blaming Zvonimir Hodak for his problems in life.
of the recently dissolved Zemun
clan of Serbia
n mafia, who was in January 2008 sentenced in absentia
to 40 years of prison in Serbia for eight assassinations and involvement in numerous other criminal activities including two abductions. His current whereabouts remain unknown, aside from having been spotted in Croatia the week before the bombing. There are reports that he was recently involved in other murders in Bosnia and Herzegovina
. The police have also talked to Mirjana Pukanić, while Nacional editorial board refuted a claim that they plan to accuse her for the assassination. On October 27, Croatian police arrested many former police officers and members of the army in a countrywide action, who are suspected to be capable of producing such professional explosive device that was used in the bombing. On October 29, Croatian police arrested 10 people in direct connection to the murder whom the police official Krunoslav Borovec described as "dangerous members of a criminal milieu."
The day before the All Saints Day police filed all points bulletin
s and subsequently arrested two known Serbian mobsters and criminals, Bojan "Bajone" Gudurić and Željko "Letač" Milovanović. Milovanović is known in Serbia for robbing a post office in Beočin
(near Novi Sad
, Serbia
) in 2005. After the robbery he escaped the police. He was subsequently tracked and arrested in front of a Tuzla
hospital. However, Milovanović made another spectacular escape a few days later, while being transported to a medical examination. Bojan Gudurić is known for having committed over 15 armed robberies all over Vojvodina
while leading an organized crime group. His most publicized robbery was the robbery of the Ekspres Gas company in Novi Sad
, where he and several of his masked accomplices forcibly took money from the company safe by threatening workers and staff by pistols.
police forces, used a false name to rent the Jurišićeva Street apartment.
Matanić stated he was at first unaware of the actual target and that he realized that Pukanić was the victim only a few days after Milovanović mentioned the target to him using Pukanić's nickname "Puki." He also declared he was not present during the assassination, claiming a BMW 7 Series
presentation in a car dealership
in Folnegovićevo naselje as his alibi
. Matanić also arranged the escape of Milovanović and Gudurić to Bosnia and Herzegovina
. However, only Milovanović's escape was successful, as Gudurić took off a day later and was subsequently caught by the police. A media scandal arose from Milovanović's escape, as Bosnian police accused Croatian media of a premature release of information, thus allegedly tipping of the perpetrators.
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
fitted on a motorcycle outside the Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n Nacional
Nacional (weekly)
Nacional is a Croatian weekly newsmagazine published in Zagreb.-History:Nacional was started in 1995 by Denis Kuljiš, Ivo Pukanić and other journalists dissatisfied with the editorial policies of Croatian weekly newspaper Globus. Both publications were hostile to the ruling HDZ government...
newspaper's premises in the Croatian capital, Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. The attack killed the owner of the newspaper, Ivo Pukanić
Ivo Pukanic
Ivo Pukanić was a Croatian journalist and the editor of the popular Croatian political weekly Nacional.-Life and career:Pukanić was born in Zagreb...
, and Niko Franjić, its marketing manager, and injured two more people. The explosion occurred in the centre of the capital at 18:10 local time (16:10 GMT). A state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
was quickly enacted, followed by numerous arrests of suspects around the country. A subsequent police investigation accused Croatian and Serbian organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
groups of perpetrating the bombing. Eight people suspected of having connections to organised crime groups were indicted. Six were later convicted over the murders with prison terms ranging from 15 to 40 years.
Details
At 18:10 local timeCentral European Time
Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
, Pukanić approached his Lexus LS 600h L
Lexus LS Hybrid
The Lexus LS is the fourth generation of the Lexus LS line of flagship sedans. Lexus debuted the model line at the 2006 North American International Auto Show, with variants including the standard wheelbase LS 460 and long wheelbase LS 460 L ; the chassis codes are derived from the fourth...
with Niko Franjić, the Nacional director of marketing. According to first news report, a bomb placed in the trash can next to the car exploded soon after. However, an October 25 special edition of Večernji list
Vecernji list
Večernji list is a Croatian daily newspaper published in Zagreb.The newspaper was started in the 1950s and it is today one of two largest daily newspapers in Croatia...
dedicated to the bombing put the bomb on a motorcycle parked next to Lexus which then exploded before the two men had a chance to enter the car. Pukanić was instantly killed by the blast while Franjić remained alive for a few more seconds. Two graphic design students from a nearby school were injured by shrapnel
Fragmentation (weaponry)
Fragmentation is the process by which the casing of an artillery shell, bomb, grenade, etc. is shattered by the detonating high explosive filling. The correct technical terminology for these casing pieces is fragments , although shards or splinters can be used for non-preformed fragments...
. The incident happened on a parking lot in Palmotićeva Street, near Stara Vlaška Street and Josip Lang Square, only two street blocks east of the main Zagreb square, Ban Jelačić Square
Ban Jelacic Square
Ban Jelačić Square is the central square of the city of Zagreb, Croatia, named after ban Josip Jelačić. The official name is Trg bana Jelačića...
. Police immediately blocked the traffic around the site of assassination, causing immense traffic jams all over the city center. A man was seen running away from the explosion down Palmotićeva Street. He was described as being in his early thirties, wearing a baseball cap and running with no regard for traffic.
The police have reported finding security camera
Closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
footage of a possible perpetrator parking the deadly motorcycle. CCTV footage of several suspicious events around the building on the day of the attack, including the footage of the explosion itself, was examined by court and publicly released in March 2010.
Reactions
In a special press conference the Prime Minister of Croatia Ivo SanaderIvo Sanader
Ivo Sanader |Split]]) is a Croatian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Croatia from 2003 to 2009.Sanader obtained his education in comparative literature in Austria, where he also later worked in the 1980s. He worked as a journalist, in marketing, publishing and also as a private...
denounced the attack and declared that he would not allow "Croatia to become Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
," though he declined a proposal for entering a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
. He further stated that, "This is no longer merely a fight against organized crime... this is something all of us in Croatia will rise up against." Mirjana Pukanić, Ivo's estranged wife with whom he was involved with in a very public scandal earlier in the year, was shocked to find out about the assassination.
The editorial board
Editorial board
The editorial board is a group of people, usually at a publication, who dictate the tone and direction the publication's editorial policy will take.- Board makeup :...
of Nacional reacted by accusing the police of Pukanić's death by failure to provide police protection. They stated that Pukanić's round-the-clock protection by two police officers was lifted on August 1 not by Pukanić's request in his right mind, but under a pressure from the police. Pukanić allegedly received two death threats after the end of the protection and promptly forwarded them to the police, but they failed to act upon them. The redaction also condemned the prosecution office for investigating false accusations against Pukanić instead of concentrating on finding his April assailant. As of now, there are only informal speculations as to the motive of the assassin.
The media have called for a special anti-mafia operation similar to the Serbian "Saber" Operation concluded after the assassination
Assassination of Zoran Đinđić
The assassination of Zoran Đinđić, the Prime Minister of Serbia, took place on Wednesday, March 12, 2003, in Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro.- Background :The assassination of Đinđić was preceded by several unsuccessful attempts on his life...
of the former Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić, which resulted in hundreds of arrests and a substantial decrease of Serbian mafia activities. However, there has been no news so far from the police department as to a possible operation. Such an action was already called for by the Zagreb's influential newspapers after the murder of Ivana Hodak, the daughter of a prominent Zagreb lawyer who was defending a controversial former army general .
Mesić's testimony
President of CroatiaPresident of Croatia
The President of Croatia , officially styled the President of the Republic represents the Republic of Croatia in the country and abroad as the head of state, maintains the regular and coordinated operation and stability of the national government system, and safeguards the independence and...
Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić is a Croatian politician and former President of Croatia. Before his ten-year presidential term between 2000 and 2010 he held the posts of Speaker of the Croatian Parliament , Prime Minister of Croatia , the last President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia , Secretary General...
said the attack meant "terrorism has become a fact on the streets of Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
." He went on to state Pukanić feared for his life before the accident. According to Mesić's words, Mirjana Pukanić called Mesić to ask Ivo Pukanić to send her some money. Mesić called Ivo and, aside from Mirjana's request, inquired about the police investigation of the April assassination attempt. Pukanić replied that the police have not made much progress since the crime itself, but he added that he was in a great fear for his life. Mesić declared that he was not aware what were the reasons and who were the authors of the threats. He recommended the police to interrogate Mirjana Pukanić, although he did not publicly state what she would be able to say. He also said he would be willing to subject to a police interrogation himself. Mirjana Pukanić was vexed by President Mesić's recommendations and the claim about begging for Ivo Pukanić's money. She stated she has lived in a women's shelter
Women's shelter
A women's shelter is a place of temporary refuge and support for women escaping violent or abusive situations, such as rape, and domestic violence....
for six months without money, and that she only asked Mesić to speed up the divorce process started by her.
State of emergency
In a special news conference following the assassination, Prime Minister Ivo SanaderIvo Sanader
Ivo Sanader |Split]]) is a Croatian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Croatia from 2003 to 2009.Sanader obtained his education in comparative literature in Austria, where he also later worked in the 1980s. He worked as a journalist, in marketing, publishing and also as a private...
at first declined the possibility of introducing a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
. However, the following day Sanader approved the proposal and ordered 250 additional police officers to the city. He called the killing an "assassination" as he vowed to fight mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
crime that threatens his country's attempt to join the EU. Sanader said the police authority would be widened, trials would be speeded up, and a DNA database
DNA database
A DNA database or DNA databank is a database of DNA data. A DNA database can be used in the analysis of genetic diseases, genetic fingerprinting for criminology, or genetic genealogy. DNA databases may be public or private. These databases do not normally hold DNA except for a short time...
for convicted criminals would be created. During the state of emergency, the police would also have the right to confiscate illegally obtained property.
The announcement of the state of emergency was quickly followed by a release of a facial composite
Facial composite
A facial composite is a graphical representation of an eyewitness's memory of a face, as recorded by a composite artist. Facial composites are used mainly by police in their investigation of crimes.-PhotoFIT generation:...
of the man from the crime scene and a large police operation, which resulted in 9 arrests in Zagreb and 20 in Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
during its first day. The chief of Croatian police, Vladimir Faber, stated all figures from Croatian underground connected to Pukanić will be interrogated.
Background
Pukanić assassination attempt in April 2008
Pukanić, an influential and controversial person in Croatian politics, was already targeted in a murder attempt on April 9, 2008 in western downtown Zagreb, near Franjo Tuđman Square. He was shot at with a silencedSuppressor
A suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer, is a device attached to or part of the barrel of a firearm which reduces the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon....
pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
at close range. Pukanić crouched as the perpetrator pointed his gun at him and successfully dodged the bullet, which created a hole in the window of a nearby gift shop
Gift shop
A gift shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collections and other souvenirs....
. The perpetrator's gun subsequently jammed, enabling Pukanić to pull his legally-owned Glock 17
Glock pistol
The Glock pistol, sometimes referred to by the manufacturer as Glock "Safe Action" Pistol, is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Glock Ges.m.b.H., located in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria. The company's founder, engineer Gaston Glock, had no experience with firearm design or...
out of his bag. Pukanić fired a warning shot, causing the perpetrator to flee the crime scene. A facial composite of the perpetrator, who was unmasked and wore a dark knitted cap
Tuque
A – variously known as a knit hat or stocking cap among other names – is a knitted cap, originally of wool though now often of synthetic fibers, that is designed to provide warmth in winter...
, was publicly released five days after the attack.
The police suspected the attempt to be a warning to Pukanić, intended to discourage him from certain activities. Police protection was assigned to Pukanić immediately following the event. However, it was lifted on August 1, 2008, just over two and a half months before the October 23 bombing, as there were no further threats in the months following the assassination attempt.
2008 Zagreb crime wave
The bombing was quickly associated by the media with the increased occurrence of crime in Zagreb in 2008. The crime wave gained its role in media with the Ribnjak ParkRibnjak, Zagreb
Ribnjak is a neighborhood in the Gornji Grad - Medveščak district of Zagreb, Croatia, directly east of the Zagreb Cathedral. According to the 2001 census, the neighborhood has 2,956 inhabitants. In 2009, the population was 1,770...
killing of an 18-year-old Bad Blue Boys
Bad Blue Boys
Bad Blue Boys are an Ultras group who support the Croatian football club GNK Dinamo Zagreb.-History:Bad Blue Boys were originally founded on 17 March 1986 in Zagreb , with members from different areas of Zagreb...
football fan in March, followed by a retaliation by other BBB members. A mob beating with deadly consequences at a bus stop in the high-traffic Većeslav Holjevac Avenue ensued.
The latest in the stream of crime events was the murder of Ivana Hodak, the daughter of Zvonimir Hodak, the lawyer who defended alleged war profiteer general Vladimir Zagorec. The murder caused the Prime Minister Ivo Sanader
Ivo Sanader
Ivo Sanader |Split]]) is a Croatian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Croatia from 2003 to 2009.Sanader obtained his education in comparative literature in Austria, where he also later worked in the 1980s. He worked as a journalist, in marketing, publishing and also as a private...
to fire Marijan Benko, chief of Zagreb Police Department, Berislav Rončević
Berislav Roncevic
Berislav Rončević is a Croatian politician, and the former Minister of Internal Affairs in the Government of Croatia and the Minister of Defense....
, Minister of Internal Affairs and Ana Lovrin, Minister of Justice. Rončević was replaced by Tomislav Karamarko and Lovrin by Ivan Šimonović
Ivan Šimonovic
Ivan Šimonović is a Croatian diplomat, politician and law scholar. He was in October 2008 appointed Justice Minister of Croatia. On May 3, 2010, Šimonović was appointed UN Assistant Secretary-General for human rights.-Biography:...
. However, this case was in February 2009 attributed by the police to a homeless unemployed man blaming Zvonimir Hodak for his problems in life.
Police investigation
The police released information that the possible assassin is Sretko Kalinić, a wanted executionerExecutioner
A judicial executioner is a person who carries out a death sentence ordered by the state or other legal authority, which was known in feudal terminology as high justice.-Scope and job:...
of the recently dissolved Zemun
Zemun
Zemun is a historical town and one of the 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia...
clan of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n mafia, who was in January 2008 sentenced in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
to 40 years of prison in Serbia for eight assassinations and involvement in numerous other criminal activities including two abductions. His current whereabouts remain unknown, aside from having been spotted in Croatia the week before the bombing. There are reports that he was recently involved in other murders in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
. The police have also talked to Mirjana Pukanić, while Nacional editorial board refuted a claim that they plan to accuse her for the assassination. On October 27, Croatian police arrested many former police officers and members of the army in a countrywide action, who are suspected to be capable of producing such professional explosive device that was used in the bombing. On October 29, Croatian police arrested 10 people in direct connection to the murder whom the police official Krunoslav Borovec described as "dangerous members of a criminal milieu."
Serbian mafia
On October 30 police arrested five suspects aligned with the Serbian mobster Sreten "Joca Amsterdam" Jocić for Pukanić's assassination. The suspects were Robert and Luka Matanić, Amir Mafalani, Slobodan "Boban" Đurović and Milenko "Mića" Kuzmanović. Mafalani was arrested in his apartment and the other four were arrested on the Bajakovo border crossing, trying to escape Croatia.The day before the All Saints Day police filed all points bulletin
All points bulletin
An all-points bulletin is a broadcast issued from one US law enforcement agency to another. It typically contains information about a wanted suspect who is to be arrested or a person of interest, for whom law enforcement officers are to look. They are usually dangerous or missing persons. As...
s and subsequently arrested two known Serbian mobsters and criminals, Bojan "Bajone" Gudurić and Željko "Letač" Milovanović. Milovanović is known in Serbia for robbing a post office in Beočin
Beocin
Beočin is a town and municipality in the Vojvodina province, Serbia. The population of the town is 8,037, whilst Beočin's municipality population is 16,029...
(near Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
) in 2005. After the robbery he escaped the police. He was subsequently tracked and arrested in front of a Tuzla
Tuzla
Tuzla is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 83,770 inhabitants, while the municipality 131,318. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 174,558 inhabitants...
hospital. However, Milovanović made another spectacular escape a few days later, while being transported to a medical examination. Bojan Gudurić is known for having committed over 15 armed robberies all over Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
while leading an organized crime group. His most publicized robbery was the robbery of the Ekspres Gas company in Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
, where he and several of his masked accomplices forcibly took money from the company safe by threatening workers and staff by pistols.
Croatian organized crime
Days after the arrest and after a scandal involving Luka Pilipović, the attorney representing Matanić cousings and Mafalani, Robert Matanić offered a testimony to uncover the contractors of the assassination. He testified that Milovanović and Gudurić organized the assassination and that he, his cousin and Mafalani assisted them in preparations for the assassination. Mafalani allegedly obtained an apartment at the intersection of Petrinjska Street and Jurišićeva Street, a high-traffic location in the vicinity of the crime scene. Robert was assisted by Velimir "Žvaki" Žaka in obtaining several stolen cars and the bomb-fitted motorcycle for Gudurić and Milovanović. Gudurić, a known criminal monitored by the BalkansBalkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
police forces, used a false name to rent the Jurišićeva Street apartment.
Matanić stated he was at first unaware of the actual target and that he realized that Pukanić was the victim only a few days after Milovanović mentioned the target to him using Pukanić's nickname "Puki." He also declared he was not present during the assassination, claiming a BMW 7 Series
BMW 7 Series
The BMW 7 Series is a line of full-size luxury vehicles produced by the German automaker BMW. Introduced in 1977, it is BMW's flagship car and is only available as a sedan or extended-length limousine...
presentation in a car dealership
Car dealership
A car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new or used cars at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. It employs automobile salespeople to do the selling...
in Folnegovićevo naselje as his alibi
Alibi
Alibi is a 1929 American crime film directed by Roland West. The screenplay was written by West and C. Gardner Sullivan, who adapted the 1927 Broadway stage play, Nightstick, written by Elaine Sterne Carrington, J.C...
. Matanić also arranged the escape of Milovanović and Gudurić to Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
. However, only Milovanović's escape was successful, as Gudurić took off a day later and was subsequently caught by the police. A media scandal arose from Milovanović's escape, as Bosnian police accused Croatian media of a premature release of information, thus allegedly tipping of the perpetrators.