The first suspect, 25-year-old Stevan Vranesevic, a student at architecture undergraduate school in Belgrade, told a magistrate, Damir Romstein, that his motive was "of the artistic nature" and that there was no political motives behind the move.
Vranesevic claimed that he was working on a short film focused on a recent decision of Croatian authorities to ban 'Patizan' basketball player, Milan Gurovic, to enter Croatia as he had Mijalovic's image tattooed on his arm.
Vranesevic said all what he had done on Saturday in 'Ban Jelacic' Square he had done on his own and that he wanted to show the absurdity of the ban on Gurovic's arrival and playing in Croatia.
The 25-year-old student said he did not know that Mihajlovic had been convicted of war crimes, and that he had no stand on the Chetnik leader, convicted of war crimes in the Second World War.
The other two suspects, 24-year-old Danja Bozanic and Mirjana Djerkovic (also 24), accused of being Vranesevic's accomplices, will be questioned later in the day.
Zagreb police on Saturday afternoon arrested the three Serbian students who were taking pictures of themselves bearing the image of Chetnik leader Draza Mihailovic at Zagreb's central square, Zagreb Police Department spokesperson Gordana Vulama said last night. She added the students, one male and two female, were arrested after citizens reported what they were doing. The students came to Zagreb as part of a group of some 30 students to see the "Dora Maar and Picasso" exhibition. Vulama said citizens who were in the square when the incident happened showed disapproval, and that at one moment one person started shoving the students. She added that no one was injured.
The three were first questioned in the police station, in the presence of a representative of Serbia-Montenegro's consulate representative. At their request the embassy of that country was also notified of the incident.
Under relevant Croatian laws, the three Serbians can be fined or sentenced for petty offences, or protective measures of their expulsion from Croatia can be ruled.