A 29-year-old member of Croatia’s Honor Guard Unit, tasked with protecting President Zoran Milanović, has been arrested on suspicion of carrying out a double murder in the capital Zagreb, local authorities said on Tuesday.
The suspect, who reportedly went to work after the killings as if nothing had happened, is accused of fatally shooting a 30-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man in an underground garage in the Crna Voda neighbourhood on June 13, police said.
Authorities believe the killings were a contract murder. After the attack, the suspect allegedly fled the scene on a motorcycle, met a 31-year-old accomplice several streets away, handed him the motorcycle, and switched to a car before heading directly to his post at Pantovčak, the official residence of the president.
The police released a video of the arrest showing a forceful intervention against both men, who have been taken into custody and charged with complicity in aggravated murder.
According to the criminal investigation, the soldier arrived at the residential complex around 18:15 local time and waited for the victims to appear. When the pair entered their vehicle, the assailant approached the driver’s side and fired several shots at close range before fleeing.
The motorcycle was later found parked in front of the suspect’s residence. Authorities were able to locate and detain both the suspect and his alleged accomplice.
The case has triggered widespread shock and concern in Croatia, given the suspect’s proximity to the head of state. President Milanović’s office has not yet commented on the matter.