"Security of state officials at highest level"

Source: B92

BELGRADE -- Justice Ministry State Secretary Slobodan Homen says the security of top state and judicial officials is at the highest level despite "frequent threats".

Slobodan Homen (FoNet, file)

Homen told Tanjug on Tuesday in Belgrade that the the security agencies are fully committed to protecting high government officials and their families.
According to Homen, danger always exists, but the safety of state officials is certainly much better than it was at the time of the assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić, nine years ago.

According to recent media reports, an official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs received Monday a tip that an assassination was being planned against Serbian President Boris Tadić, Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej, Interior Minister Ivica Dačić and Director of Police Milorad Veljović.

Veljović told Tanjug that he does not want to comment on threats, and Patriarch Irinej said that his life in the hands of God and that he not afraid at all.

According to media reports, an Interior Ministry official received a text message on Friday saying that the new assassination attempt would be less spectacular than the one that had been planned to occur at the Borik sports arena in Banja Luka, where the police found weapons shortly before the ceremony marking Serb Republic Day.

The ceremony was attended by top officials from Serbia, the Serb entity, and the Serbian Orthodox Church.