Party to sue daily over "hit order" report

Opposition SRS official Dragan Todorovic said that his party would be suing daily Blic over a report which claims that SRS leader had ordered an assassination. According to the article, Vojislav Seselj ordered the killing of opposition SNS leader Tomislav Nikolic from his jail cell at the Hague Tribunal. Gangster Luka Bojovic was allegedly hired for this task. Party to sue daily over "hit order" report “SRS will be pressing charges against Blic for spreading false information, and we are sure that we will persevere and get to the bottom of this issue,” Todorovic said. He added that SRS has sent a request to the Interior Ministry (MUP) and the Security Information Agency (BIA) for information on who gave these statements and information to the daily. He said that the story itself, printed by the newspaper on Tuesday, was "so pointless that it does not even deserve a comment". Opposition New Serbia officials also stated that they did not believe the story. NS Vice President Jovan Maric said that Seselj was an experienced lawyer who would "not allow himself to commit such a serious crime", adding that the story was an attempt to turn attention away from the difficult situation in Serbia and to change the focus of the opposition rally that was held on Monday. Asked for comment, BIA Director Sasa Vukadinovic said that the agency had learned that Nikolic’s life safety was at risk, and was running checks on what information it had. He said that the information was given to BIA by a "state institution". Vukadinovic added that BIA could not confirm the claims that Seselj ordered an assassination of Nikolic. He said that BIA did not receive the information from the Interior Ministry, b‏ut that it did come from a state institution. Some media reported today that the tipoff about the alleged plans to kill Nikolic came from the recently detained Zemun Clan member Milos Simovic. Simovic was a fugitive for seven years, and was sentenced to 30 years in absentia for his role in the 2003 assassination of Zoran Djindjic. Reports after his arrest said that he was willing to cooperate with the authorities in exchange for being granted the status of a collaborating witness. A file photo of Seselj and Nikolic (FoNet) SNS reacts Also in Belgrade today, Serb Progressive Party (SNS) deputy leader Aleksandar Vucic said that Tomislav Nikolic would in future have personal security, since competent state bodies informed the SNS that he had received death threats. He did not wish to deny or confirm the information that appeared in the Serbian press that the order to kill Nikolic was issued by Seselj. When asked whether his former party chief was capable of ordering the murder, Vucic responded that he "knows Seselj better than anyone", and refused to make any further comments. For the past seven years, Seselj has been detained at the Hague Tribunal undergoing trial on war crimes charges, while Nikolic broke away from the Radicals (SRS) setting up his own party, the Serb Progressives (SNS).

Party to sue daily over "hit order" report

“SRS will be pressing charges against Blic for spreading false information, and we are sure that we will persevere and get to the bottom of this issue,” Todorović said.

He added that SRS has sent a request to the Interior Ministry (MUP) and the Security Information Agency (BIA) for information on who gave these statements and information to the daily.

He said that the story itself, printed by the newspaper on Tuesday, was "so pointless that it does not even deserve a comment".

Opposition New Serbia officials also stated that they did not believe the story.

NS Vice President Jovan Marić said that Šeselj was an experienced lawyer who would "not allow himself to commit such a serious crime", adding that the story was an attempt to turn attention away from the difficult situation in Serbia and to change the focus of the opposition rally that was held on Monday.

Asked for comment, BIA Director Saša Vukadinović said that the agency had learned that Nikolić’s life safety was at risk, and was running checks on what information it had.

He said that the information was given to BIA by a "state institution".

Vukadinović added that BIA could not confirm the claims that Šešelj ordered an assassination of Nikolić.

He said that BIA did not receive the information from the Interior Ministry, b‏ut that it did come from a state institution.

Some media reported today that the tipoff about the alleged plans to kill Nikolić came from the recently detained Zemun Clan member Miloš Simović.

Simović was a fugitive for seven years, and was sentenced to 30 years in absentia for his role in the 2003 assassination of Zoran Đinđić. Reports after his arrest said that he was willing to cooperate with the authorities in exchange for being granted the status of a collaborating witness.

SNS reacts

Also in Belgrade today, Serb Progressive Party (SNS) deputy leader Aleksandar Vučić said that Tomislav Nikolić would in future have personal security, since competent state bodies informed the SNS that he had received death threats.

He did not wish to deny or confirm the information that appeared in the Serbian press that the order to kill Nikolić was issued by Šešelj.

When asked whether his former party chief was capable of ordering the murder, Vučić responded that he "knows Šešelj better than anyone", and refused to make any further comments.

For the past seven years, Šešelj has been detained at the Hague Tribunal undergoing trial on war crimes charges, while Nikolić broke away from the Radicals (SRS) setting up his own party, the Serb Progressives (SNS).