Bomb Attacks in Croatia and Macedonia Connected

13 November 2008 Skopje – The method used in the recent murder of Croatian journalist Ivo Pukanic and his marketing chief, Niko Franjic, is similar to the one used in the attempt on a former Macedonian President’s life in 1995, local media have reported police sources as saying.

The head of Republika Srpska’s crime police, Gojko Vasik, has confirmed this information,Croatian TV Nova said. Croatian police issued an international search warrant for Zeljko Milovanovic, nicknamed Gavro, as the main suspect in the killing of the journalist. Milovanovic is believed to be a member of the criminal underworld in Republika Srpska.

However, it is not clear whether the ongoing investigation into the Pukanic murder links the two cases.
 
The police in Republika Srpska have pointed out that several other murders across the Balkans were executed in the same way as the Pukanic killing, with explosives being planted under the victim’s car.
 
In 1995 Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov narrowly escaped when a bomb exploded near his limousine, killing his driver and one bystander. The culprits have never been found.
 
A former Macedonian Police Minister recently suggested possible involvement by Macedonia’s secret police in Gligorov’s assassination.