Assassination of Ivo Pukanić

Assassination of Ivo Pukanić
The parking lot in Palmotićeva Street, two days after Ivo Pukanić was assassinated. Curious citizens and a TV camera still observe the location.
Location	Downtown Zagreb, Croatia
Coordinates	45°48′48″N 15°58′57″E / 45.813457°N 15.982570°E / 45.813457; 15.982570Coordinates: 45°48′48″N 15°58′57″E / 45.813457°N 15.982570°E / 45.813457; 15.982570
Date	23 October 2008 18:10 (UTC+2)
Target	Ivo Pukanić
Weapons	car bomb
Deaths	2
Non-fatal injuries	2
Perpetrators	Željko Milovanović Bojan Gudurić Robert Matanić Luka Matanić Amir Mafalani Slobodan Đurović

The assassination of Ivo Pukanić happened on 23 October 2008 in Zagreb, Croatia, when a remote-detonation car bomb fitted on a motorcycle outside the Nacional newspaper's premises killed the owner of the newspaper, Ivo Pukanić, and Niko Franjić, its marketing manager, and injured two more people. The explosion occurred in the centre of the capital at 18:10 local time (16:10 GMT). Numerous arrests of suspects around the country followed. A subsequent police investigation accused Croatian and Serbian organized crime groups of perpetrating the bombing. Eight people suspected of having connections to organised crime groups were indicted. Six were later convicted over the murders with prison terms ranging from 15 to 40 years.

At 18:10 local time, Pukanić approached his Lexus LS 600h L with Niko Franjić, the Nacional director of marketing. According to first news report, a bomb placed in the trash can next to the car exploded soon after. However, an October 25 special edition of Večernji list dedicated to the bombing put the bomb on a motorcycle parked next to Lexus which then exploded before the two men had a chance to enter the car. Pukanić was instantly killed by the blast while Franjić remained alive for a few more seconds. Two graphic design students from a nearby school were injured by shrapnel. The incident happened on a parking lot in Palmotićeva Street, near Stara Vlaška Street and Josip Lang Square, only two street blocks east of the main Zagreb square, Ban Jelačić Square. Police immediately blocked the traffic around the site of assassination, causing immense traffic jams all over the city center. A man was seen running away from the explosion down Palmotićeva Street. He was described as being in his early thirties, wearing a baseball cap and running with no regard for traffic.

The police have reported finding security camera footage of a possible perpetrator parking the deadly motorcycle. CCTV footage of several suspicious events around the building on the day of the attack, including the footage of the explosion itself, was examined by court and publicly released in March 2010.