Gotovina, who had been at large since 2001, was the main obstacle to the start of Croatia's EU entry talks. However, Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte said on 3 October she was satisfied with cooperation with Zagreb and thus opened the door to the start of negotiations between Zagreb and Brussels.
Gotovina was born on 12 October 1955, near the central Adriatic town of Zadar. He left home at the age of 16 to join the French Foreign Legion. Warfare in Africa, Guatemala and Paraguay earned him French citizenship as well as the reputation of a brave solder. He went into unspecified 'security business' in the 1980s, when French courts convicted him of robbery, kidnap and extortion, according to foreign news agencies..
Gotovina returned to Croatia in 1991 to help its independence war. After rising to rank of general, Gotovina commanded Operation Storm to crush Serb rebellion in August 1995.
After the war Gotovina married an army colonel with whom he has a son. He also has two daughters from a previous marriage and a relationship.
President Stjepan Mesic sent Gotovina and six other generals into early retirement in 2000, when they rebelled against Croatia's pledge to investigate its own war crimes and hand over suspects to the U.N. tribunal.
The tribunal charged Gotovina and another general, Rahim Ademi, with atrocities against Serbs in a secret indictment in 2001. The original indictment against Gotovina was confirmed on 8 June 2001 and unsealed on 26 June 2001. The amended indictment was confirmed on 24 February 2004 and issued on 8 March 2004. Ademi surrendered voluntarily but Gotovina immediately went into hiding and police claimed they could not find him.
Gotovina is indicted for crimes against humanity during and after Operation Storm. The charges say he failed to prevent the murder of Serbs, or to punish the perpetrators. He is also held responsible for plunder and systematic destruction of Serb property.
The head of Pakostane Municipality, Gotovina's home town, said today he and Pakostane residents were shocked to learn about the arrest of the man who has been declared an honorary citizen of that central Adriatic municipality.
"We would like to see him. Unfortunately, it looks like our general has lost the first phase of his battle and the only thing he is left with now is a legal battle. This is why I would like to call on all those who participated in the Homeland War and everybody else who can help the defence of general Gotovina, his attorneys, to help" Pakostane municipal head Milovoj Kurtov said.
Asked if the municipality would take any action, Kurtov said he did not know at this moment, but added that no protests could help Gotovina now.
Apart from Pakostane, the news had a shocking effect in almost all municipalities and towns of Zadar County.