Željko "Arkan" Ražnatović | |
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Ražnatović and his "Tigers"
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Born |
Brežice, PR Slovenia, FPR Yugoslavia |
17 April 1952
Died | 15 January 2000 Belgrade, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia |
(aged 47)
Cause of death | Ballistic trauma |
Nationality | Yugoslavia (later FR Yugoslavia) |
Other names | Arkan |
Occupation |
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Criminal charge | |
Spouse(s) | Natalija Martinović (1985-1994) Svetlana Veličković (1995-2000) |
Children | 9 |
Wanted by
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Interpol, ICTY |
Željko Ražnatović (Serbian Cyrillic: Жељко Ражнатовић, pronounced [ʐêːʎko raʐnâːtoʋit͡ɕ]; 17 April 1952 – 15 January 2000), better known as Arkan (Аркан), was a Serbian career criminal and commander of a paramilitary force in the Yugoslav Wars, called the Serb Volunteer Guard. He was on Interpol's most wanted list in the 1970s and 1980s for robberies and murders committed in a number of countries across Europe, and was later indicted by the UN for crimes against humanity for his role during the wars. Ražnatović was up until his death the most powerful crime boss in the Balkans. He was assassinated in 2000, before his trial could take place.
Željko Ražnatović was born in Brežice, a small border town in Slovenian Styria, FPR Yugoslavia. His father, Veljko Ražnatović, served as a decorated officer in the SFR Yugoslav Air Force, earning high rank for his notable World War II involvement on the Partisan side, and was stationed in Slovenian Styria at the time of Željko's birth.
He spent part of his childhood in Zagreb (SR Croatia) and Pančevo (SR Serbia), before his father's job eventually took the family to the Yugoslav capital of Belgrade (SR Serbia), which Ražnatović considered his hometown. His father was born in Cetinje (SR Montenegro), a descendant of the Ražnatović brotherhood, and had taken part in the Yugoslav liberation of Priština in World War II.