Vinko Sindičić (born September 29, 1943) is a former UDBA agent.

Vinko Sindičić
Born (1943-09-29) September 29, 1943 (age 80)
Stara Baška, Krk, Croatia
NationalityCroatian
Known forAttempted Assassination of Nikola Štedul

Biography edit

Sindičić was born in the town of Stara Baška on the island of Krk. As a child, Sindičić was enrolled and graduated from an eight-year elementary school. He then enrolled in the Tourism and Hotel Management School in Opatija. Sindičić then moved overseas, moving from Croatia to Italy where he married, then moved to Germany.[1]

In 1988, Sindičić was in the United Kingdom where on the early morning of October 20 Sindičić shot Nikola Štedul six times, four times near the spine and two times in the mouth.[2] Sindičić claimed he was in the United Kingdom for a World Cup Qualifying football match between Scotland and Yugoslavia however, Gun residue was found on Sindičić's skin therefore incriminating Sindičić. Sindičić was later found guilty of the attempted assassination of Nikola Štedul and served 15 years in prison.[2] Sindičić's story inspired the episode of Crime Story, The Yugoslav Hitman by Scottish Television.[3]

After serving his sentence, Sindičić requested to be extradited to Croatia to face charges against him for the killing of Bruno Bušić. He was extradited and was imprisoned in Remetinec Prison, Zagreb for one year before his trial at the District Court of Zagreb. Sindičić was found not guilty and in 2005, the Supreme Court of Croatia upheld the verdict.[4]

In 2008, Sindičić delivered testimony in Munich against Krunoslav Prates.[5] This testimony led to the extraditions of Josip Perković and Zdravko Mustač in 2015, with both being later sentenced to life in prison.[6]

Sindičić was later arrested in Burgos, Spain by the Spanish Law Enforcement for supposedly lying in his testimonies in Munich. However, the Spanish Government refused to extradite him to Croatia for prosecution as the Spanish Government believed that as the testimony happened in Germany, the Croatian Government had no case to further chase Sindičić.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ "About Vinko Sindicic". queens-enemy.com.
  2. ^ a b "Thirty years, six bullets, two countries and one home". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2005-11-25. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  3. ^ "Crime Story" Stedul: The Yugoslav Hitman (TV Episode 1994) - IMDb, retrieved 2023-04-30
  4. ^ "Vinko Sindičić nije kriv za ubojstvo Brune Bušića (Vinko Sindicic found not guilty)". Archived from the original on 17 Feb 2013.
  5. ^ "(Croatian) Bruno Busic was killed by someone he knew". www.vecernji.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  6. ^ "Spain Rejects Croatia's Request to Extradite Former Yugoslav Intelligence Agent". www.total-croatia-news.com. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  7. ^ "Sindičić arrested again in Spain". The Voice of Croatia. Retrieved 2023-04-30.

Further reading edit

  • Queens Enemy About Vinko Sindičić
  • HRT Vinko Sindičić arrested in Spain
  • Vecernji.hr Bruno Bušić was killed by Someone he knew