Radar: Serbian special unit arresting Kosovo police officers in Serbia operates under the command of a friend of Vuçiq and Veselinovic
The Security Unit in the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs operates under the informal command of Serbian President Aleksandar Vuçiq.
According to the medium Radar, the unit has been used in questionable operations, from detaining citizens during protests in Belgrade, to arresting Kosovo police officers and detaining illegal immigrants. It has recruited people with no experience in policing or security, often based on friendship or proximity to the authorities.
According to Radar, particularly interesting is the fact that within the Security Unit there is an anti-terrorist platoon, which, without any clarity on its competence, acted on June 14, 2023 during the arrest of three Kosovo police officers in the municipality of Raška.
The Security Unit of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (JZO) operating throughout Serbia, initially established as a 300-member security structure after the assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, has transformed into a force of over 1.250 that, according to internal sources, operates under the informal command of Serbian President Aleksandar Vuçiq.
At the center of attention is Marko Kričak, a former luxury car salesman and close friend of businessman Zvonko Veselinović, who through personal connections has become commander of the JZO, commanding police officers with many years of experience.
This unit recruited people without any experience in police or security, often based on friendship or closeness to the authorities, which, according to the Serbian media outlet Radar, was used in dubious operations.
Thanks to his connections with Veselinović and his affinity for luxury, Kričak was accepted into the Intelligence and Security Agency (BIA), specifically the Fifth Counterintelligence Directorate – once an elite department where only highly experienced operatives were accepted.
According to this medium, under his command, the unit was used for various situations – from clashes with illegal taxi drivers at Belgrade airport, the detention of Kosovo police officers at the border, to the arrest of citizens on July 4, during protests in Belgrade.
After the June 28 protest, he gave a motivational speech to his unit, emphasizing: “The president sees us. We must justify the trust…”.
According to Radar, he urges his subordinates to arrest “anyone who breaks the law” at their discretion.
Another name involved is Zoran “Kiki” Čašević, a former musician in Serbian singer Lepa Brena’s band, who began his police career in the Emergency Situations Sector and later became a liaison officer for the MIA in Athens.
Unlike the Gendarmerie Unit, this unit operates primarily in civilian clothes and is based in Belgrade. Officially it reports to the police director and the interior minister, but sources say that in reality it functions as an internal “political police” – ready to protect the interests of the government.
Recent actions by the JZO, including violent arrests of citizens and activists in plainclothes, have raised concerns about the formation of a “police within the police,” which operates outside institutional control and in service of political interests.