Accused war criminal Dragan Vasiljkovic, aka Captain Dragan, was arrested after he was found hiding out on a boat near Yamba in northern NSW following a four-day covert surveillance operation by the Australian Federal Police, The Australian reported on Friday.
Vasiljkovic, who also goes by the name Daniel Snedden, was transferred to a NSW prison yesterday after spending Wednesday night in custody at Coffs Harbour police station, the daily said.
The Australian said that Vasiljkovic, an experienced sailor, was found at 5pm on Wednesday, hiding on a boat near the seaside town of Yamba, less than 100km north of Coffs Harbour.
Up to 40 police had been involved in the initial search for the 55-year-old Australian citizen, the daily said
During the hunt, police scoured bushland near Coffs Harbour, examined CCTV footage and interviewed members of the Serbian community.
The Croatian Justice Ministry on Wednesday the success of the Australian authorities in locating and arresting Vasiljkovic, and expressed a firm belief that the Minister for Home Affairs would approve his extradition.
Croatia submitted the extradition request to Australia in 2006. Vasiljkovic is suspected of war crimes committed against captured Croatian soldiers and police in Knin and Bruska in February 1993, and of war crimes against civilians.
