War crimes general in custody

A Croatian general who was wanted on suspicion of war crimes is in police custody.

The arrest of retired Major General Mirko Norac makres the end of a two-week hunt that sparked massive anti-government demonstrations in support of the fugitive.

Police spokesman Slavko Rako says Norac will be transferred to the north-western port city of Rijeka for questioning there by the regional court.

The court is expected to decide whether to keep him in custody or release him pending continued investigations.

The circumstances of Norac's detention were not immediately clear. But the announcement that he was in custody came just hours after Prime Minister Ivica Racan urged Norac to turn himself in, saying a UN war crimes tribunal decision not to prosecute him should remove the last obstacle for his surrender.

Mr Racan spoke shortly after The Hague-based tribunal announced it was not seeking retired Norac, on the run since a Croatian court announced on February 8 that it was investigating his alleged role in the 1991 killing of Serb civilians in the city of Gospic.

Veterans, supported by the nationalist party of the late president Franjo Tudjman, have protested against Norac's prosecution. They also demanded that veterans be exempt from war crimes probes - a notion the government has rejected.