2020 Zagreb shooting

Last updated

2020 Zagreb shooting
Part of right-wing terrorism in Europe
St. Marks sq Zagreb areal2.jpg
St. Mark's Square where the attack occurred
2020 Zagreb shooting
Location St. Mark's Square, Zagreb, Croatia
Coordinates 45°49′00″N15°58′24″E / 45.816554°N 15.973336°E / 45.816554; 15.973336
Date12 October 2020 (2020-10-12)
c. 08:03 (CEST)
Target Banski dvori
Attack type
Weapons
Deaths1 (the perpetrator)
Injured1 police officer
PerpetratorDanijel Bezuk
Motive Right-wing extremism

The 2020 Zagreb shooting, commonly referred to as the St. Mark's Square attack (Croatian : Napad na Trgu svetog Marka), occurred on 12 October 2020 in Zagreb, Croatia, when 22-year-old Danijel Bezuk approached Banski dvori, which houses the office of the Prime Minister and serves as the meeting place of the government, on St. Mark's Square and started shooting at it with an assault rifle, wounding a police officer in the process. In the aftermath, the perpetrator ran off to a nearby neighborhood and committed suicide. [2]

Contents

Attack

External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Video of the attack to the Croatian government building at the St. Mark's Square on YouTube (1:50)

The attack was committed by 22-year-old Danijel Bezuk from Kutina, Croatia, who did not appear at his workplace in Zagreb, but instead headed to St. Mark's Square, where the buildings of the Croatian government (Banski dvori), Croatian Parliament (Sabor) and the Constitutional Court are located. He subsequently took out an automatic rifle (5.45×39mm AK-74 [3] ) and opened fire on the 33-year-old police officer, Oskar Fiuri, who was guarding the main entrance, wounding him with four rounds, after which he continued shooting on Banski dvori. [4]

Another police officer who was guarding the Parliament on the opposite side of the square noticed what was happening, so he took out his personal weapon and fired at the attacker. Bezuk ran to the nearby street to take cover and reloaded his gun. He then returned and fired on the police again, but was again suppressed by the police fire, and fled the scene in response. [4]

The wounded officer Fiuri ran approximately 50 metres (160 ft) and collapsed in a state of shock. He was helped by the bystanders, who called an ambulance. The wounded policeman was taken to Sisters of Charity Hospital in Zagreb, where he was treated for his wounds. Police then swarmed St. Mark Square looking for the attacker, but soon received the report of shots heard in the nearby Jabukovac Street, which turned out to be Bezuk taking his own life. [5] [6]

Motives

Soon after the attack, the Croatian media found out the attacker's identity and started analyzing Bezuk's Facebook account, which featured written statuses, expressing his frustrations with the state of affairs in Croatia. The posts included a link to a YouTube video dedicated to snipers, captioned with: "I wish I was one of these guys, to take out Serbs". In another post, he described himself as "a tourist in his own country". In yet another post, he expressed his support for far-right Croatian Party of Rights' (HSP) early 1990s paramilitary wing, Croatian Defence Forces (HOS). In his last Facebook status before committing suicide, he wrote: "Enough with the frauds and ruthless trampling of human values without [any] responsibility". [5]

In February 2021, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated that the motive of the attack was his party Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ) coalition with the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS). [7] [8]

Reactions

After the Croatian media started writing about Bezuk's Facebook profile, his profile received support from many other users. However, it was later deleted. [9]

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, President Zoran Milanović held a press conference in which he called the government to protect the central state institutions, saying that "they are not a tourist destination". [10] On the same day, police raided Bezuk's family home, where they apparently found two rifles with optical sights, silencers, and over 1,000 pieces of ammunition. [11] [12] On 14 October, Prime Minister Plenković said that "[Croatia is] having a serious issue with radicalism" and that the attack had elements of a terrorist act, based on the Croatian law on terrorism. [13] He also urged the police, State's Attorney Office of the Republic of Croatia and Security and Intelligence Agency to investigate "how a young man could become so radicalized". He also appealed to society to "raise the level of respect, in order to build a public culture which will prevent similar incidents from happening". [13] On 15 October 2020, Minister of Croatian Veterans Tomo Medved, while commenting the attack, pointed out that there was a "series of clues indicating that the Prime Minister himself was the attacker's target". [14]

Investigation

On 16 October, Croatian daily newspaper Jutarnji list , referring to the source from the police, published the article saying that prior to the attack Bezuk searched the internet for texts and photographs of government office location, building interior and regular movements of the President and the Prime Minister. [15]

The investigation was concluded on 22 July 2021. The State's Attorney Office rejected the criminal complaint against Bezuk since he was deceased, and reported that the investigation found no evidence that there were any accomplices or instigators to the attack. [16] In September 2022, Jutarnji list wrote that Bezuk's final message before committing suicide was identical to paroles of radical Croatian right-wing group called Banovina Horosan [17] which advocates spread of Islam and installation of sharia law in Croatia. [18] [19]

Closure of St. Mark's Square

Following the attack, the police fenced off St. Mark's Square, announcing an "emergency security plan" [20] for the square. As of 2024, the square remains closed. Several politicians have called on the Croatian government and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to reopen the square, as it is the centre of Zagreb's historic Upper Town, and its closure inconveniences tourists, workers and the Upper Town residents. [21] [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

This is the history of Croatia since the end of the Croatian War of Independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milan Bandić</span> Croatian politician (1955–2021)

Milan Bandić was a Croatian politician and the longest-serving mayor of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Bandić was mayor almost continuously from 2000 to 2021, except during the time between his resignation in 2002 and the 2005 election. He was also suspended from exercising his powers and duties for several months after his 2014 arrest over a corruption scandal. Out of Bandić's multifaceted engagement in politics, the most noted part was his mayoralty of Zagreb, which followed the Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ) first post-socialist period of government (1990–2000), and exacerbated many existing transitional problems in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banski Dvori</span> Seat of the Government of Croatia in Zagreb

Banski Dvori is a historical building on the west side of St. Mark's Square in Zagreb, Croatia. It served as the official residence of the Croatian Bans (viceroys) and currently houses the Croatian Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoran Milanović</span> President of Croatia since 2020

Zoran Milanović is a Croatian politician serving as the president of Croatia since 2020. Prior to assuming the presidency, he was prime minister of Croatia from 2011 to 2016, as well as president of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) from 2007 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croatia–Russia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Croatia and Russia established diplomatic relations on 25 May 1992. Croatia has an embassy in Moscow and honorary consulates in Kaliningrad, Novosibirsk, and Sochi. Russia has an embassy in Zagreb and honorary consulates in Pula and Split.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mark's Square, Zagreb</span> Public square in the historic center of Zagreb, Croatia

St. Mark's Square is a square located in the old part of Zagreb, Croatia, called Gradec or Gornji grad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bombing of the Banski Dvori</span> 1991 Yugoslav air strike during the Croatian War of Independence

The bombing of the Banski Dvori was a Yugoslav Air Force strike on the Banski Dvori in Zagreb—the official residence of the President of Croatia at the time of the Croatian War of Independence. The airstrike occurred on 7 October 1991, as a part of a Yugoslav Air Force attack on a number of targets in the Croatian capital city. One civilian was reported killed by airplanes randomly shooting civilians of the Tuškanac city district and four were injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rivers of Justice</span> Centre-left political alliance in Croatia

Rivers of Justice is a centre-left political alliance in Croatia. Gathered around the Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP), the coalition was originally formed in 2010 as the Kukuriku coalition. This somewhat facetious name meaning 'cock-a-doodle-doo', taken from a restaurant of the same name in Kastav where the coalition leaders first convened in July 2009, became well known and was eventually taken as the coalition's official name. The coalition originally consisted of four centrist and centre-left parties in the Croatian Parliament: the Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP), Croatian People's Party – Liberal Democrats (HNS-LD), Croatian Party of Pensioners (HSU) and Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS). The coalition won an absolute majority of seats in the 2011 parliamentary election and successfully formed a government led by Zoran Milanović (SDP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vlado Košić</span> Croatian bishop (born 1959)

Vlado Košić is a Croatian bishop and leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sisak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Croatian parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Croatia on 5 July 2020. They were the tenth parliamentary elections since the first multi-party elections in 1990 and elected the 151 members of the Croatian Parliament. 140 Members of Parliament were elected from geographical electoral districts in Croatia, three MPs were chosen by the Croatian diaspora and eight MPs came from the ranks of citizens registered as belonging to any of the 22 constitutionally recognized national minorities.

2014–2016 Croatian war veterans tent protest was 555 days long war veterans protest, often dubbed in Croatia as The Tenters. The protests were initially aimed against Ministry of Croatian Veterans deputy Bojan Glavašević and Minister Predrag Matić himself, however the protesters subsequently changed their demands and started demanding the resignation of centre-left Prime Minister Zoran Milanović and then President Ivo Josipović. The protests escalated in May 2015 when a group of protesters breached the riot police cordons in Zagreb Upper Town and barricaded themselves inside St. Mark Church, where they again clashed with the police. At the same time another group of protesters near the central tent blocked the traffic and brought out gas bottles on Savska street which they apparently threatened to blow if the police refused to back off from the church. After both Josipović and Milanović lost the elections in 2014 and 2015, the protests gradually calmed down and in April 2016, with the new minister taking over the Veterans Office, the tent was dismantled, formally ending the protest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Zagreb earthquake</span>

At approximately 6:24 AM CET on the morning of 22 March 2020, an earthquake of magnitude 5.3 Mw, 5.5 ML, hit Zagreb, Croatia, with an epicenter 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north of the city centre. The maximum felt intensity was VII–VIII on the Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale. The earthquake was followed by numerous aftershocks, the strongest of which with a magnitude of 5.0. It was the strongest earthquake in Zagreb since the 1880 earthquake and caused substantial damage in the historical city center. More than 1,900 buildings were reported to have been damaged to the point of becoming uninhabitable. The earthquake was also felt in Slovenia. One person was killed and 27 others were injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Croatian parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Croatia on 17 April 2024 to elect the members of the 11th Sabor. Prior to the elections, the government consisted of a coalition of the Croatian Democratic Union and Independent Democratic Serb Party, with parliamentary support of five national minority MPs, two MPs from the Croatian Social Liberal Party and Croatian Demochristian Party, and one independent MP, Silvano Hrelja.

Events in the year 2021 in Croatia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Zagreb Tu-141 crash</span> Military drone crash in Zagreb, Croatia

On 10 March 2022 at 23:01 CET, an unidentified Soviet-made Tupolev Tu-141 reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. With an unidentified operator and unknown destination, the origin of the drone is presumed to be connected to military actions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The drone's flight over Croatia, Hungary and Romania prompted criticism of the countries' defense systems as the UAV was detected but not cleared. In response, the Croatian government restricted airspace over populous cities and received military support from France and the United States who dispatched multiple fighter-jets to Croatia days later for joint exercises.

Ukraine and Russia have had hostile relations since 2014 Russian occupation of Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. In February 2022, a major escalation happened after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This article concerns influence of Russo-Ukrainian conflict on Croatians and Republic of Croatia.

Vigilare is a conservative Catholic Association in Croatia, founded in 2011, which mainly deals with family issues in its work.

A presidential election is scheduled to be held in Croatia in December 2024, with a second round in January 2025 if no candidate receives a majority. Incumbent president Zoran Milanović is eligible for a second term. His first term began on 19 February 2020 and will end on 18 February 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Zagreb protest</span> 2024 civil protest against ruling Croatian party

Zagreb protest was a political protest organized in Zagreb, Croatia, on 17 February 2024 by a coalition of 11 left-wing, liberal opposition parties against the government of Andrej Plenković and the Croatian Democratic Union. The protest was held under the name "Enough! Let's go to the elections!".

References

  1. ↑ "Police published video footage of a Mark Square Attack: there are elements of terrorism" (in Croatian). Večernji.hr. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  2. ↑ "Croatian police find weapons after shooting outside govt. HQ". Washington Post. Associated Press. ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  3. ↑ Dešković, Miljuš, Marin, Dušan. "St. Mark Square Attacker Used the Rare Rifle Kalashnikov Variant Called "The Bone Breaker"". Jutarnji list. HINA. Retrieved 15 October 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. 1 2 "Take a look on St. Mark Square attack video footage". Index.hr. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  5. 1 2 "ŠTO JE NAPADAČ S MARKOVOG TRGA OBJAVLJIVAO NA SVOM FEJSU? 'Da sam barem jedan od njih, da skidam Srbe'… pisao i o 'nepravdi u Haagu'". Net.hr (in Croatian). 12 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  6. ↑ "Jutarnji list - Kako je Bezuk s kalašnjikovom došao do Vlade? Dva ključna pitanja o napadu i dalje su misterij". www.jutarnji.hr (in Croatian). 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  7. ↑ Jelušić, Andrej (22 February 2021). "PLENKOVIĆ OBJASNIO SVOJU REAKCIJU: 'Isti su kao i oni što nas nazivaju srbočetnicima. Pred našu vladu čovjek je pucao oružjem jer smo u koaliciji s SDSS-om'". Dnevno.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  8. ↑ Hina (22 April 2021). "Premijer Andrej Plenković s ministrima položio vijenac kod Kamenog cvijeta u Jasenovcu". Dnevnik.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "Napadaču s Markova trga profil na Facebooku više nije aktivan". www.24sata.hr (in Croatian). 12 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  10. ↑ "Milanović o pucnjavi na Markovu trgu: Pozivam Vladu da odgovarajuće zaštiti Trg". N1 HR (in Croatian). Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  11. ↑ "Croatian police find weapons after shooting outside govt. HQ". ABC News. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  12. ↑ "Traje pretres imanja i kuće napadača s Markovog trga, oglasio se njegov ujak". www.index.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  13. 1 2 "Plenković o napadu na Markovu trgu: 'Imamo ozbiljan problem s radikalizmom'". www.vecernji.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  14. ↑ "Medved: 'Čitav niz pokazatelja govori da je meta napada na Markovu trgu bio Plenković'". Večernji list (in Croatian). 15 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  15. ↑ Dešković, Marin; Žabec, Krešimir; Miljuš, Dušan (16 October 2020). "Što je guglao Danijel Bezuk: Na webu tražio gdje živi i gdje se kreće Plenković, ali i Milanović". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  16. ↑ "DORH utvrdio: Napad na Markovu trgu bio je terorizam" [DORH determined: The attack on St. Mark's Square was terrorism]. N1 (in Croatian). 22 July 2021. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  17. ↑ "Jutarnji list - Uhićeni maloljetnik član je grupe radikala koja huška na nasilni ustanak. Evo što je za njih radio". www.jutarnji.hr (in Croatian). 11 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022. Ne treba zaboraviti da je Danijel Bezuk, prije nego što je krenuo rafalno pucati po zgradi Vlade i pritom teško ranio policajca, u oproštajnom pismu napisao: "Dosta je bilo prevara i bezobzirnog gaženja ljudskih vrijednosti bez odgovornosti". Riječ je praktički o istim parolama koje propagiraju Francišković i njegovi sljedbenici.
  18. ↑ "Jutarnji list - Prepiska organizatora prosvjeda otkriva raskol: 'Mesija Marko bi nam uveo šerijat! Oprez, oprez!'". www.jutarnji.hr (in Croatian). 23 November 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  19. ↑ "'Džihadi Marko' bi uveo šerijat u Hrvatsku, a danas je priveden zbog poticanja na terorizam". Net.hr (in Croatian). 3 December 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  20. 1 2 "Plenkoviću i Božinoviću poslan apel da otvore Markov trg za građane i turiste" [Plenković and Božinović receive an appeal to open St. Mark's Square to citizens and tourists]. N1 (in Croatian). HINA. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  21. ↑ Vulić, Antonija (7 January 2022). "Stanarima ne daju do dućana, kose korov s kaldrme: 'To je ružno i nema veze sa sigurnošću'" [Residents not allowed across to reach the shops, weeds are growing among the cobblestones: 'This is unsightly and has nothing to do with security']. Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Retrieved 27 January 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.