May 04, 2004
The Legionnaire Surrenders
Legija "the Legionnaire" is the nickname of the Serbian criminal suspected of masterminding the assassination of Prime Minister Djindjic last March. After fourteen months on the run, Legija surrendered to Serbian police yesterday.
This came as a complete surprise. Several of Legija's associates had been captured or killed in the weeks following Djindjic's death. Legija himself, though, had simply disappeared. The general assumption was that he was living someplace far away -- Moscow, say -- with a new set of papers and possibly a new face.
Not. He surrendered at his house in Belgrade. And while his whereabouts for the last fourteen months remain unknown, it looks like he may have been in Serbia for most or all of that time.
It gets weirder. Legija is accused of some heavy, heavy crimes -- assassination, murder, conspiracy, you name it. Nobody has any idea why he might have surrendered. Belgrade is abuzz with speculation, but nobody yet seems to have any hard facts.
-- For those who haven't been following this story, here's some background.
Legija is a native Belgrader; he was born Milorad Ulemek in 1965. In the mid-1980s he fled to France and joined the Foreign Legion. He stayed with the Legion for several years, fighting in Chad, Libya, Beirut, French Guyana and Iraq (the first Gulf War, 1991). It was this phase of his career which earned him his nickname Legija, the Legionnaire.
Legija returned to Serbia at the beginning of the Yugoslav wars in 1992 and joined the Serbian Volunteer Guard, aka "Arkan’s Tigers". This was a paramilitary group that would quickly become notorious for a variety of war crimes; their leader, Arkan, was for many years a particular favorite of Slobodan Milosevic. (Though Milosevic would eventually turn against him, leading to his murder in 2000.) Legija became one of the Guard's commanders, and fought with Arkan in Croatia and Bosnia.
When the Tigers were disbanded, Lukovic joined the notorious Special Operations Unit of Serbia’s secret police, better known as the Red Berets. The Red Berets were nominally an "antiterrorist unit", but they were widely considered to be Milosevic’s Praetorian Guard. Legija became commander of the Red Berets in 1999.
He is suspected of involvement in the murder of four officials of Vuk Draskovic's Serbian Renewal Movement in a staged traffic accident in 1999. (This was one of several not-quite-successful attempts to kill Draskovic himself.) A few months later, during the war in Kosovo, Legija commanded the Red Berets in the field. As in Bosnia and Croatia, he left behind numerous allegations of atrocities and crimes.
Then came the fall of Milosevic. Legija's role in this remains controversial, but the most generally accepted version is that he met with Kostunica and Djindjic -- who were then leaders of the opposition -- and effectively negotiated a change of sides. The Red Berets would not intervene to save Milosevic. The new government, in turn, would leave them most of their privileges and would not prosecute or even inquire too deeply into their lives and their pasts.
Once the new government was firmly in place, though, this arrangement began to erode. Part of the problem was that the West kept pressing Serbia to cooperate with war crimes investigations. Many of the Red Berets were involved in these investigations, either as potential defendants or as witnesses. Another problem was that the Red Berets had deep links to organized crime on one hand, and the radical fringe of Serbian politics on the other. So the new government began putting more and more pressure on the group -- first disbanding them, and then becoming (from their point of view) ever more hostile and threatening.
In the simple version of the story, this led to Legija eventually organizing the assassination of Prime Minister Djindjic, hoping or believing that this would destabilize the government. Of course, in Serbia nothing is simple, and there are truly baroque layers of conspiracy theory piled upon the few facts that are generally known and accepted. We still don't know what really happened with Djindjic's assassination, and it's entirely possible that we never will. Maybe I'll do a post on that sometime, but maybe not -- it's complicated.
As I mentioned, several of Legija's associates were captured or killed in the weeks immediately following the assassination. Two of his senior henchmen were supposedly killled in a shootout with police. However, last month an autopsy surfaced that showed they had been killed by shots to the back of the head, probably while bound and kneeling. This to give just one example of the fog of fact that surrounds almost every aspect of this case.
Still: Legija has surrendered. And while this is all very strange, it does seem to be better than having him run around free.
More on this in a bit, if anyone is interested.
Sounds sort of like a Pablo Escobar sort of thing - surrendering to an easy imprisonment to avoid some sort of death squad campaign of retribution or competition?
Posted by: Mitch H. at May 4, 2004 04:52 PMMaybe. As noted, two of his closest associates were killed -- supposedly in a gun battle, but apparently by impromptu execution after being captured.
But after he'd already evaded capture for 14 months?
Most Serbs are assuming that he made some sort of deal. The government vehemently denies this. There are a variety of sub-scenarios here... for instance, he might have offered a deal, and be negotiating it in the peace and safety of his cell. Certainly the government has been /very/ quiet about him the last few days -- we know he's in captivity, and that's it. There's a de facto news blackout, which of course is being filled with feverish speculation.
I'll blog more when there's something more to blog.
Doug M.
Serb strongman 'abandoned me'
Alleged assassin's Canadian bride living in West Toronto
Isabel Vincent
National Post
May 14, 2004
TORONTO - The estranged Canadian wife of the man accused of murdering Serbia's prime minister lives quietly in a stately home in west-end Toronto -- still angry with her husband for abandoning her and their daughter.
Maja Lukovic, 31, is tall and blonde and could easily be mistaken for a model. But for the last five years, she has devoted most of her time to raising her young daughter, who has never met her father, Milorad Ulemek, leader of Serbia's most notorious paramilitary group. Mr. Ulemek is currently on trial for the murder of former Serb prime minister Zoran Djindjic, who was gunned down in a Belgrade street last year.
Few of her neighbours have any idea of her identity. But after recent press reports in the Serbian media that she believed cast her and her family in a disparaging light, Ms. Lukovic said she decided to "clear her family's name" and give an interview to a Serbian journalist earlier this week.
"It was mad, mad, mad love, but he abandoned me quite suddenly," Ms. Lukovic told Ndeljni Telegraf, a leading Serbian newsweekly. She said she has not seen her husband since she gave birth to their daughter in Toronto in 1998. "He abandoned me, his legitimate wife and his child at two weeks of age."
Reached at her parents' home earlier this week, Ms. Lukovic refused comment. Her mother, Zorica Lukovic, told a National Post reporter her daughter lives in the house, but the family has had no contact with Mr. Ulemek.
"He abandoned his family, and we have not even heard from him in several years."
In the Serbian newsmagazine article, Ms. Lukovic said she never officially divorced Mr. Ulemek, whom she met while on assignment as a television journalist covering the wars in the Balkans for a Canadian television network in 1992, reportedly the CBC.
But she said she was angered that he continued to use her name -- Mr. Ulemek is often identified in press reports as Milorad Lukovic, an identity he adopted in 1994 when he applied for a Yugoslav diplomatic passport.
"People have been telling all sorts of stories about us and we want to come clean," she said.
The couple were wed in Yugoslavia in 1994 and continued to live there for four years, when Ms. Lukovic became pregnant. When she was seven months into her pregnancy, Mr. Ulemek suggested she return to Toronto to give birth. She said he offered no explanation at the time, and Ms. Lukovic duly returned home, leaving all of her clothes, books and wedding memorabilia in their Belgrade house. She said she has never been able to regain any of her belongings.
She moved back into her parents' home, and for a time received several calls a day from her husband in Belgrade. But shortly after the birth of their daughter in a Toronto hospital, he stopped calling. At one point, Ms. Lukovic made a trip to Belgrade with the child, but Mr. Ulemek refused to see them.
Ms. Lukovic told Ndeljni Telegraf she later discovered Mr. Ulemek had started a relationship with Aleksandra Ivanovic, the widow of one of his cronies, with whom he has three young children.
"If I had known that he had any kind of involvement in crime, I never would have gotten involved with him," Ms. Lukovic said.
"When I met him, he was decent, kind but not very talkative. I relaxed him and he became more communicative."
The only thing she objected to in the early days of her courtship was Mr. Ulemek's fondness for tattoos. When she met him, he had a tattoo of a rose on his neck and a few tattoos on his hands.
"I asked him to not get any more tattoos, and he agreed," she said. The pledge apparently didn't survive the breakup, however. Recent photographs of Mr. Ulemek, released by Serb authorities while he was on the run, show his arms covered in colourful tattoos.
Though Mr. Ulemek has become one of the most notorious figures in Serbia, Ms. Lukovic insists he was not involved in underworld activities at the time of their courtship or marriage. However, he did work as a trainer for the JSO after their 1994 wedding. The JSO is the Serb-language acronym for the Special Operations Unit, a paramilitary group under the control of former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic.
The unit, which was also known as the Red Berets, was allegedly involved in some of the worst ethnic cleansing campaigns in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo.
"I never noticed anything unusual," she told Nedeljni Telegraf. "He never took part in the war and he was never in questionable company."
They were married at Sarnaj crki, Belgrade's largest Orthodox cathedral, and the reception was held at the Majestic Hotel in downtown Belgrade.
The paramilitary leader Zeljko Raznatovic, who is better known as Arkan and was indicted by the Hague tribunal for his role in ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Croatia, was the best man at the wedding.
Mr. Raznatovic was gunned down by underworld opponents in the lobby of a Belgrade hotel in January, 2000.
Mr. Ulemek, 36, is better known as Legija, which means Legionnaire. Before hooking up with Mr. Milosevic, Mr. Ulemek had done a stint in the French Foreign Legion.
After the murder of Mr. Djindjic, Mr. Ulemek was on Interpol's most wanted list for 14 months, until he dramatically gave himself up in front of his Belgrade home two weeks ago.
In statements released through his lawyers, Mr. Ulemek said he did not order the assassination of Mr. Djindjic, considered Serbia's most reform-minded politician when he was shot to death on a street in downtown Belgrade on March 12, 2003.
Mr. Ulemek, who allegedly has strong links with the Zemun underworld gang in Belgrade, has been accused of ordering the murder even though he was a former ally.
Although Mr. Ulemek was for years loyal to Mr. Milosevic, he agreed to support the democratic opposition after a popular uprising against Mr. Milosevic in the fall of 2000.
In a secret meeting held in an armoured car as it toured Belgrade, Mr. Djindjic secured Mr. Ulemek's support, which was cemented when Mr. Milosevic ordered the underworld boss to fire against protesters outside a television station in Belgrade, and he refused.
In return, Mr. Ulemek was allegedly tipped off after a secret indictment was prepared against him by the Hague tribunal. He was escorted to Bosnia, where he went into hiding.
But the relationship with Mr. Djindjic appears to have soured when his government called on Mr. Ulemek's old paramilitary unit, the Red Berets, to begin rounding up suspects wanted by the Hague tribunal. Mr. Ulemek, a Serb nationalist and fierce opponent of the tribunal, refused, and allegedly turned against Mr. Djindjic.
"He is not the man I loved and knew," said Ms. Lukovic about her husband. "I am so sorry that the good man Milorad Lukovic became such a bad man. This first Milorad I will always love, but the other one -- Legija -- I don't know. I cannot explain his transformation to myself or others."
© National Post 2004
Posted by: Robert Bantum at May 15, 2004 08:09 PMSerb strongman 'abandoned me'
Alleged assassin's Canadian bride living in West Toronto
Isabel Vincent
National Post
May 14, 2004
TORONTO - The estranged Canadian wife of the man accused of murdering Serbia's prime minister lives quietly in a stately home in west-end Toronto -- still angry with her husband for abandoning her and their daughter.
Maja Lukovic, 31, is tall and blonde and could easily be mistaken for a model. But for the last five years, she has devoted most of her time to raising her young daughter, who has never met her father, Milorad Ulemek, leader of Serbia's most notorious paramilitary group. Mr. Ulemek is currently on trial for the murder of former Serb prime minister Zoran Djindjic, who was gunned down in a Belgrade street last year.
Few of her neighbours have any idea of her identity. But after recent press reports in the Serbian media that she believed cast her and her family in a disparaging light, Ms. Lukovic said she decided to "clear her family's name" and give an interview to a Serbian journalist earlier this week.
"It was mad, mad, mad love, but he abandoned me quite suddenly," Ms. Lukovic told Ndeljni Telegraf, a leading Serbian newsweekly. She said she has not seen her husband since she gave birth to their daughter in Toronto in 1998. "He abandoned me, his legitimate wife and his child at two weeks of age."
Reached at her parents' home earlier this week, Ms. Lukovic refused comment. Her mother, Zorica Lukovic, told a National Post reporter her daughter lives in the house, but the family has had no contact with Mr. Ulemek.
"He abandoned his family, and we have not even heard from him in several years."
In the Serbian newsmagazine article, Ms. Lukovic said she never officially divorced Mr. Ulemek, whom she met while on assignment as a television journalist covering the wars in the Balkans for a Canadian television network in 1992, reportedly the CBC.
But she said she was angered that he continued to use her name -- Mr. Ulemek is often identified in press reports as Milorad Lukovic, an identity he adopted in 1994 when he applied for a Yugoslav diplomatic passport.
"People have been telling all sorts of stories about us and we want to come clean," she said.
The couple were wed in Yugoslavia in 1994 and continued to live there for four years, when Ms. Lukovic became pregnant. When she was seven months into her pregnancy, Mr. Ulemek suggested she return to Toronto to give birth. She said he offered no explanation at the time, and Ms. Lukovic duly returned home, leaving all of her clothes, books and wedding memorabilia in their Belgrade house. She said she has never been able to regain any of her belongings.
She moved back into her parents' home, and for a time received several calls a day from her husband in Belgrade. But shortly after the birth of their daughter in a Toronto hospital, he stopped calling. At one point, Ms. Lukovic made a trip to Belgrade with the child, but Mr. Ulemek refused to see them.
Ms. Lukovic told Ndeljni Telegraf she later discovered Mr. Ulemek had started a relationship with Aleksandra Ivanovic, the widow of one of his cronies, with whom he has three young children.
"If I had known that he had any kind of involvement in crime, I never would have gotten involved with him," Ms. Lukovic said.
"When I met him, he was decent, kind but not very talkative. I relaxed him and he became more communicative."
The only thing she objected to in the early days of her courtship was Mr. Ulemek's fondness for tattoos. When she met him, he had a tattoo of a rose on his neck and a few tattoos on his hands.
"I asked him to not get any more tattoos, and he agreed," she said. The pledge apparently didn't survive the breakup, however. Recent photographs of Mr. Ulemek, released by Serb authorities while he was on the run, show his arms covered in colourful tattoos.
Though Mr. Ulemek has become one of the most notorious figures in Serbia, Ms. Lukovic insists he was not involved in underworld activities at the time of their courtship or marriage. However, he did work as a trainer for the JSO after their 1994 wedding. The JSO is the Serb-language acronym for the Special Operations Unit, a paramilitary group under the control of former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic.
The unit, which was also known as the Red Berets, was allegedly involved in some of the worst ethnic cleansing campaigns in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo.
"I never noticed anything unusual," she told Nedeljni Telegraf. "He never took part in the war and he was never in questionable company."
They were married at Sarnaj crki, Belgrade's largest Orthodox cathedral, and the reception was held at the Majestic Hotel in downtown Belgrade.
The paramilitary leader Zeljko Raznatovic, who is better known as Arkan and was indicted by the Hague tribunal for his role in ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Croatia, was the best man at the wedding.
Mr. Raznatovic was gunned down by underworld opponents in the lobby of a Belgrade hotel in January, 2000.
Mr. Ulemek, 36, is better known as Legija, which means Legionnaire. Before hooking up with Mr. Milosevic, Mr. Ulemek had done a stint in the French Foreign Legion.
After the murder of Mr. Djindjic, Mr. Ulemek was on Interpol's most wanted list for 14 months, until he dramatically gave himself up in front of his Belgrade home two weeks ago.
In statements released through his lawyers, Mr. Ulemek said he did not order the assassination of Mr. Djindjic, considered Serbia's most reform-minded politician when he was shot to death on a street in downtown Belgrade on March 12, 2003.
Mr. Ulemek, who allegedly has strong links with the Zemun underworld gang in Belgrade, has been accused of ordering the murder even though he was a former ally.
Although Mr. Ulemek was for years loyal to Mr. Milosevic, he agreed to support the democratic opposition after a popular uprising against Mr. Milosevic in the fall of 2000.
In a secret meeting held in an armoured car as it toured Belgrade, Mr. Djindjic secured Mr. Ulemek's support, which was cemented when Mr. Milosevic ordered the underworld boss to fire against protesters outside a television station in Belgrade, and he refused.
In return, Mr. Ulemek was allegedly tipped off after a secret indictment was prepared against him by the Hague tribunal. He was escorted to Bosnia, where he went into hiding.
But the relationship with Mr. Djindjic appears to have soured when his government called on Mr. Ulemek's old paramilitary unit, the Red Berets, to begin rounding up suspects wanted by the Hague tribunal. Mr. Ulemek, a Serb nationalist and fierce opponent of the tribunal, refused, and allegedly turned against Mr. Djindjic.
"He is not the man I loved and knew," said Ms. Lukovic about her husband. "I am so sorry that the good man Milorad Lukovic became such a bad man. This first Milorad I will always love, but the other one -- Legija -- I don't know. I cannot explain his transformation to myself or others."
© National Post 2004
Posted by: Robert Bantum at May 15, 2004 08:10 PM