Bomb Threats See Croatia Police Stations, Malls, Supreme Court Evacuated

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) – A series of anonymous bomb threats in Croatia on Monday forced the evacuation of several police stations, shopping malls and courts, including the country’s supreme court during a meeting with a delegation from Ukraine.

Police said that “in a short period of time,” several police departments received information about “anonymous reports that explosive devices were allegedly placed” at different locations across the country.

Croatian media said that police searches have so far found no explosive devices.

The President of the Croatian Supreme Court, Radovan Dobronic, told state HRT television that a security officer informed him about the bomb threat as he was meeting with a delegation from Ukraine’s supreme court, adding that it seemed to him that the threat was linked to the meeting.

“Somehow it seems to me that it was done on purpose at this moment,” Dobronic said. “My first thought was that it was connected. And practically 20 minutes after the start of that meeting, the tip came in,” he added.

The anonymous threats, among a series in the country in recent months, comes amid a debate within Croatia´s leadership on whether the European Union and NATO-member country should join a Western initiative to start training Ukrainian soldiers against invading Russian forces.

Croatia´s government is mostly in favor of starting the training, while the country´s outspoken President Zoran Milanovic is against, saying it would mean Croatia´s direct involvement in the war.

The anonymous bomb threats came just days after Ukrainian embassies and consulates in six European countries, including Croatia, had received packages containing animals´ eyes. There were no reports yet who sent them and for what purpose.