Malovic said on Monday that under European conventions, the suspect is extradited to the country where they committed a more serious crime and that Serbia's Justice Ministry would respect that principle.

The Croatian judiciary this afternoon requested an investigation into Paravinja on the suspicion that he killed Antonia Bilic in order to cover up an attempt to rape her.

Paravinja was arrested in the Bosnian Serb entity of Republika Srpska on Sunday.

The Sibenik County Prosecutor's Office requested an investigating judge at the Sibenik County Court to launch an investigation, issue a warrant for Paravinja's arrest and remand him in custody.

During the interrogation by Bosnian Serb police, Paravinja admitted to having strangled Bilic and thrown her body into the river Krka. The police are now looking for her body.

In Serbia Paravinja was convicted in 2002 of rape and attempted rape and sentenced to four and a half years in prison. As he was beyond the reach of the Serbian judicial authorities, Serbia issued an international warrant for his arrest in 2007.

On 2 February 2007, the Interpol office in Croatia notified Interpol in Serbia that Paravinja held Croatian citizenship and therefore could not be extradited to Serbia.

According to the Serbian justice ministry, in 2008 Paravinja was arrested in Germany which extradited him to Slovenia. In 2009, Slovenia notified Serbia that Paravinja had left his place of residence. Since then, Serbian judicial authorities have received no information about his movement or whereabouts, the Serbian ministry said.

Two days ago, an investigation was launched into Paravinja in a case of attempted rape of a 24-year-old hitchhiker in Omis, southern Croatia.