HAPŠENJE HRVATA, piše NEW YORK TIMES 26 lipnja 1981.
Credit…The New York Times Archives
June 26, 1981, Section A, Page 10
Eight men described by the Federal authorities as the hierarchy of a Croatian nationalist organization were arrested separately around the nation yesterday on racketeering and conspiracy charges involving extortion, arson and murder.
The eight, and a ninth man who was arrested in Canada, were named in two Federal indictments in Manhattan accusing them of conducting the activities of a Croatian group called Otpor in ”a pattern of racketeering.”
According to the indictments, the members of Otpor, a legal organization also known as the Croation National Resistence, used ”terror, assassination, bombings and violence” to extort money and attack opponents. The victims were ”persons of Croatian origin” living in the United States, the indictment said.
Among those arrested are Mile Markic, 56 years old, of Skokie, Ill., described by the Federal authorities as ”the de facto leader of Otpor in the United States,” and Mile Boban, 41, of Hillsborough, Calif., identified as the ”president of Otpor in North America.” Other suspects were arrested in New York, Chicago, Cleveland and Los Angeles. 6-Year Investigation
THE CASE GREW OUT OF A SIX-YEAR INVESTIGATION THAT INCLUDED THE ARREST OF SEVERAL OF THE ORGANIZATION’S MEMBERS LAST YEAR BYa antiterroristFORMED BY THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION.
Yesterday’s arrests were announced by Lee F. Laster, head of the bureau’s New York office; John S. Martin Jr., the United States Attorney in Manhattan, and Police Commissioner Robert J. McGuire of New York.
Mr. Laster described the arrests as ”a crushing blow” to Croatian terrorism in the United States. Mr. Martin said the charges were brought under a Federal racketeering law that enabled the authorities to make arrests across the nation for organized terrorist activities as part of one major case.
The charges were made against those accused specifically of being leaders of the group, Mr. Laster said. Mr. Martin added, ”We are not indicting the entire organization.” Advocates of Croation Independence
They said the resistance group advocated Croatia’s independence from Yugoslavia. The group has 300 members in the United States, the authorities said.
The indictments alleged that the suspects had participated in a racketeering conspiracy that included ”murder and arson” against individuals who refused to make extortion payments, who opposed the group’s views or who assisted the law-enforcement authorities.
In addition to Mr. Markic and Mr. Boban, the defendants include Ante Ljubas, 36, of Chicago, which the indictment called ”the de facto No. 2 man” of the group in the United States. Also arrested was Andjelko Jakic, 36, of Mamaroneck, N.Y., former vice president of the New York chapter of the resistance organization.
The others were identified as Ivan Misetic, 37, of Skokie, former president of the Chicago chapter; Vinko Logarusic, 35, of Cleveland, leader of the chapter there; Ranko Primorac, 34, of Long Beach, Calif., leader of the Los Angeles chapter, and Miro Biosic, 33, of San Clemente, the Los Angeles chapter’s treasurer. Ninth Man Arrested in Ontario
All eight were named in one indictment charging each of them with conspiracy and racketeering. A separate indictment made similar charges against Drago Sudar, 50, of Etobicoke, Ontario, who was described as an associate of the others.
The F.B.I. said all the defendants were seized at their homes. If convicted, each man could face a maximum 20-year sentence for conspiracy and 20 years for racketeering.
Since 1976, the indictments said, the alleged racketeering included two murders and several acts of arson. And it said there were more than 50 acts of extortion, using letters mailed from West Germany.
The indictments cited the 1978 murders of Anthony Cikoja in New York and Krizan Brkic in California. It alleged plans to kill several others, including ”officials of the Yugoslavian consulate in San Francisco.” A 1978 plot to bomb the United Nations and Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan was also attributed to the group.
Last December, seven men described as members of the New York chapter were charged with planning a murder and several bombings. Five of them were convicted, including Ivan Cale, identified as the chapter’s president. They were sentenced to prison terms of 20 to 35 years.