The then leader of rebel Croatian Serbs, Milan Martic, confirmed in front of TV cameras that the shelling of Zagreb was the retaliation of Serbs from occupied Croatian territory for the military defeat in the military and police Operation Flash.
Because of the shelling of Zagreb, the UN's International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague indicted Martic for war crimes.
In the attack, which was repeated on May 3, six civilians were killed, while 39 were seriously and 136 lightly wounded.
The first explosions were heard at 1023 hours on May 2, when shells hit the centre of the city. The shells also hit a children's hospital, a pensioners' home, and a Croatian National Theatre hall where dancers were rehearsing, injuring several. One police officer was killed while deactivating a bomb.