Police know who masterminded and carried out assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic

Belgrade, March 15, 2003 - Serbian Interior Minister Dusan Mihajlovic said late Friday that the police know who masterminded and carried out the assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic and that their capture is a matter of detail because the entire world has offered its assistance to Serbia in resolving this crime. In an interview with Studio B television, Mihajlovic said that the unity and resolve of all state bodies, both civilian and military, is the strongest guarantee that those responsible for and connected with the assassination will be brought to justice.

"We have evidence and statements from the arrested that confirms the statements of other members of this criminal organisation," said Mihajlovic, adding that the statements can be used in court.

Mihajlovic said that the arrested persons can testify as protected witnesses and that the evidence has been forwarded to the special prosecutor, the Beta news agency reported.

The Minister swore that the fugitives would not get away with this crime, adding that the assassination of the Prime Minister would not be one in a series of unsolved crimes, but would instead help shed light on unsolved cases such as the disappearance of former Serbian president Ivan Stambolic, and all other cases that have cast doubt over the police's efficiency in tackling organised crime.

By assassinating the Prime Minister, organised criminal groups attempted to destabilise the state, hoping that this heinous act would lead to changes and new elections they could win so that they could take power and continue to do what they have been doing for almost an entire decade, said Mihajlovic.