Arkan widow held for aiding suspects in Djindjic murder

Police raided the home of the murdered Serbian warlord Arkan yesterday and arrested his widow, Svetlana Raznatovic. Ms Raznatovic, an icon of Serbian folk music also known as Ceca, was held for helping suspects in the assassination of the Serbian Prime Minister, Zoran Djindjic.

The Serbian government has accused the Zemun clan of being behind last week's assassination, and Ms Raznatovic is close to the gang's bosses, including Milorad Lukovic, Dusan Spasojevic and Dejan Milenkovic. They are still at large.

Ms Raznatovic sheltered Mr Lukovic and Mr Spasojevic for days before Mr Djindjic's assassination, investigators said, and she financially supported the family of Mr Milenkovic. He had been driving a truck which tried to push aside the vehicle of Mr Djindjic in an unsuccessful assassination attempt last month. He was arrested but released due to lack of evidence and immediately went underground.

Ms Raznatovic was married to Arkan, real name Zeljko Raznatovic, who was killed in a gangland attack in a Belgrade hotel in January 2000. Mr Lukovic was deputy commander of Arkan's notorious "Tigers" unit during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s.

"Ceca" Raznatovic became a tabloid heroine after Arkan died. She made a triumphant comeback last June, after a long period of mourning, with a spectacular concert dedicated to her late husband. Thousands of people chanted "Arkan, Arkan" at the show.

Serbian police have arrested more than 400 people in connection with the murder of Mr Djindjic, who had been called "the Serbian Kennedy".

Ms Raznatovic could spend a month in jail without the right to a lawyer under the state of emergency introduced after the killing of Mr Djindjic.