Ex-police boss ‘arrested’ in bomb plot

Montenegro is one of Europe’s newest countries. Source: Wikimedia

Montenegro’s police say a former Serbian special police chief is among the 20 suspects arrested in Montenegro for allegedly planning to carry out attacks after voting closes in the tiny country’s election. 

A police source told Associated Press that former General Bratislav Dikic led the group that is suspected of planning armed attacks in the capital Podgorica after the polls closed on Sunday.

Dikic, 46, fell out of favour as the commander of Serbia’s gendarmerie in 2013 because of his alleged criminal activities.

The interior minister has warned people to stay indoors instead of celebrating in the streets after the results were announced.

Minister Goran Danilovic said: “I appeal to all political parties who are taking part in the election, whoever has a reason to celebrate, to stay at home with their families.

The arrested men planned to use automatic weapons to attack institutions and government employees, police chief Slavko Stojanovic said.

One Serb was still at large, he said.

There are tensions over plans to establish deeper relations between Montenegro and Western Europe and Nato.

The Serbs had been charged with “forming a criminal organisation and terrorism”, Stojanovic said.

Polling suggests the election will be the closest race since independence from Serbia and there are fears of violence between opposition and government supporters after the result is announced.

Polls predict the tightest election since independence as Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic pursues membership of the EU and Nato.

But his Democratic Party of Socialists is being challenged by a pro-Russian and Serb opposition.

Djukanovic has said he expected the picturesque former Yugoslav republic to “steadily and dynamically move toward its European and Euro-Atlantic goals” and not become a “Russian colony”.

However, elements of the opposition want Montenegro to turn back to Russia, its traditional ally. Nato’s bombing of Serbia and Montenegro in 1999 in an attempt to halt the killing and expulsion of ethnic Albanians in Serbia’s then southern province of Kosovo remains contentious.

Montenegro has also seen an influx of Russian money and tourists since parting from Serbia in 2006.