Zagreb concerned over alleged involvement of Croats in plot to kill Bolivian president

ZAGREB, Croatia

Government officials are concerned over the alleged involvement of two Croat-Bolivians in an assassination plot against Bolivian President Evo Morales, local and Serbian media reported on Monday (April 20th).

The plot emerged in the news late last week, when Morales said five members of a gang of mercenaries, including men of Croatian descent, planned attacks against him and several other officials.

Three men died in a shootout aimed at dismantling the gang last week, including a Romanian and an Irishman. Police arrested a Bolivian of Croat descent, Mario Francisco Tadic, along with a Hungarian national.

Both fought in Croatia in the 1991-1995 conflict. Local media link the gang to Bolivian opposition leader Branko Marinkovic, who is also of Croatian origin. Bolivian media have described the Croat immigrants as “trained terrorists”, “extremists and fascists”.