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Zeljko RaznatovicSerbian criminal, leader of a military group nicknamed "Arkan", businessman
Date of Birth: 17.04.1952
Country:  Serbia |
Content:
- Biography of Željko Ražnatović
- International Criminal Activities
- Role in the Yugoslav Wars
- Business Ventures and Assassination
Biography of Željko Ražnatović
Early Life and Criminal ActivitiesŽeljko Ražnatović, also known as Arkan, was born on April 17, 1952, in Brežice, southern Slovenia. His father, Veljko Ražnatović, was an officer in the Yugoslav Air Force and a former partisan, while his mother, Slavka Josifović, also participated in military actions during World War II. Ražnatović grew up in a strict household with three older sisters, but he had a troubled relationship with his parents. At the age of nine, he ran away from home and engaged in various criminal activities such as theft, vandalism, and petty crimes. In 1966, he was sent to a correctional facility for juvenile delinquents.
Despite his troubled youth, Ražnatović possessed a quick mind and logical thinking. His father sent him to a military naval school, but he escaped and fled to Paris in 1969, where he was arrested by the French police and sent back home. He was sentenced to three years in prison, during which he organized his own gang with the help of a secret police chief who was a friend of his father.
International Criminal Activities
In 1972, at the age of 20, Ražnatović illegally emigrated to Western Europe in search of wealth. He formed a gang that engaged in robberies and murders in Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. His crimes included burglaries, bank robberies, prison escapes, and assassination attempts. Throughout this time, Ražnatović maintained connections with Yugoslav intelligence services. He became one of the top 10 most wanted criminals by Interpol.
Ražnatović became fluent in English, French, and Italian, and had a basic understanding of German, Swedish, and Dutch. In May 1983, he returned to Yugoslavia and continued his criminal career. His ties to the head of the secret police protected him from police persecution, which only increased his authority in the criminal underworld.
Role in the Yugoslav Wars
In 1990, as the political, ethnic, and religious tensions escalated in former Yugoslavia, Ražnatović formed militarized units known as the "Serbian Volunteer Guard" and actively participated in the Yugoslav Wars. His own paramilitary group, called the "Tigers," was responsible for some of the most brutal ethnic cleansings, according to UN reports. Despite his criminal past, Ražnatović positioned himself as a defender of Serbian freedom and gained influence as a military and political figure with high-level connections.
Business Ventures and Assassination
Ražnatović amassed a fortune through extortion, racketeering, oil smuggling, and luxury goods. He owned casinos, nightclubs, gas stations, bakeries, restaurants, sports halls, and a private security agency. He was married twice and had nine children from five different women, three of whom were born out of wedlock.
On January 15, 2000, Ražnatović was assassinated in the lobby of the InterContinental Hotel in Belgrade. The perpetrator, Dobrosav Gavrić, was sentenced to 19 years in prison, but the organizers of the crime remain unidentified.
