BELGRADE, Feb 25 (Hina) - Rade Markovic, head of the Serbian secret police during the regime of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, was arrested on Saturday evening. The news about Markovic's arrest, a former head of the
Serbian Service for State Security, was confirmed by several sources last night. According to those sources, Markovic was arrested on Friday evening already at the request of the Belgrade District State Attorney. Serbian government officials confirmed late last night Markovic's arrest as well as the arrest of two of his close associates whose identity was not made known. Addressing a special news conference, Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic said Markovic was suspected of multiple murder and the forging of documents related to the murder of four senior officials of the Serbian Revival Movement (SPO), killed in a car accident on the Ibar Highway in October 1999. The car acci
BELGRADE, Feb 25 (Hina) - Rade Markovic, head of the Serbian secret
police during the regime of former Yugoslav president Slobodan
Milosevic, was arrested on Saturday evening.
The news about Markovic's arrest, a former head of the Serbian
Service for State Security, was confirmed by several sources last
night.
According to those sources, Markovic was arrested on Friday evening
already at the request of the Belgrade District State Attorney.
Serbian government officials confirmed late last night Markovic's
arrest as well as the arrest of two of his close associates whose
identity was not made known.
Addressing a special news conference, Serbian Justice Minister
Vladan Batic said Markovic was suspected of multiple murder and the
forging of documents related to the murder of four senior officials
of the Serbian Revival Movement (SPO), killed in a car accident on
the Ibar Highway in October 1999.
The car accident, which the SPO claims was an attempt to assassinate
the party president Vuk Draskovic, killed four SPO officials while
the party leader remained unhurt.
Batic declined to state the names of the other two suspects, adding
he did not know whether one of them was Branko Djuric, a former chief
of the Belgrade police, whom the SPO accused of organising the
accident on the Ibar Highway.
Yugoslav Interior Minister Zoran Zivkovic told the Beta agency last
night that three persons had been arrested along with Markovic, but
declined to state their names. "They are Markovic's associates.
None of them is above his rank," Zivkovic said.
Markovic headed the important and 'sensitive' sector of state
security until January 25 this year, when he was replaced following
intense pressures by part of the Yugoslav ruling coalition on
Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica.
Along with late Serbian and Yugoslav interior minister Zoran
Sokolovic, who was found dead in his car some 20 days ago, Markovic
was Milosevic's closest associate.
Markovic, Sokolovic and former Serbian interior minister Radomir
Stojicic Badza, who was killed three years ago, are associated with
all war operations in Croatia and later in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
(hina) rml