Djindjic targeted by multiple snipers, bodyguard tells court

A bodyguard of the assassinated Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic yesterday questioned the official police version of the killing by saying he heard three shots being fired.

Milan Veruovic, who is a key witness in the trial of the alleged killers, has contested the official version of events on 12 March last year.

Mr Veruovic, 33, who was seriously wounded in the shooting in front of Mr Djindjic's Belgrade headquarters, added to the trial's controversy by indicating that the shots came from two different directions. That would mean that there were at least two gunmen, not the single sniper who was arrested and is one of the accused on trial. The testimony suggests a wider plot than has been put forward, as the official version says a single bullet killed Mr Djindjic, while a second injured Mr Veruovic.

"First I heard a muffled shot," Mr Veruovic said. "I heard him [Mr Djindjic] moan, and turned towards him. As I turned around, I heard the strong blast of another shot that hit me, and I fell next to the car.I saw his feet only a step away, as he fell through the door and into the building. Then I heard the third blasting shot that ricocheted from the right side of the door."

Prior to Mr Veruovic's testimony in the trial, witnesses said behind closed doors that the son of Slobodan Milosevic, the former Serbian president, offered in October 2000 to pay the so-called Zemun Clan to kill Mr Djindjic. The offer was refused. The clan and its leader, Milorad Lukovic Legija, are accused of assassinating Mr Djindjic. An indictment charged 13 alleged crime bosses and former special police officers with killing him.