WITNESS IN LORA CASE ATTACKED IN FRONT OF JUDGE'S OFFICE

SPLIT, Oct 10 (Hina) - On Tuesday, when witnesses began giving their testimonies in an investigating process over eight (8) suspects of 1992 war crimes in the port of Lora, Split, an incident occurred when a group of still unknown persons attacked one of witnesses waiting in front of the room of an investigating judge in the building of the Split County Court. Unknown attackers made verbal threats and took pictures of the witness, Milosav Katalina, and left the building before police and the security arrived at the site. Intimidated Katalina was not able to give his testimony yesterday, and he will be later interviewed. On Wednesday, a spokesman for the local police said the Split police were taking measures to establish the identity of the attackers that on Tuesday threatened to kill the witness Katalina, who was also a detainee in the military prison 'Lora' in 1992. The investigating judge who was to interview Katalina yesterday, declined to comment on the incident, whereas the Split County Court's President, Igor Benzon, asserted that something like that could not have been anticipated. Benzon announced that the security measures on the premises of the court would be stepped up. According to unofficial information, the chief county prosecutor, Mladen Bajic, who has instigated the proceedings in the Lora case, is being also faced with threats of anonymous persons, but Bajic has declined to comment on it and rejected the additional security. The investigation in crimes in the military prison of Lora was launched several days ago. Seven suspects were brought into custody in the meantime, while the eight suspect is still at large and a warrant for his arrest has been issued. These suspects, who used to be military policemen, are accused of the killing of Nenad Knezevic, Gojko Bulovic and some other detainees, most of whom were of the Serb descent, in the Lora prison in 1992. (hina) ms