Ivan Korade
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Ivan Korade (17 December 1963 – 3 April 2008) was a
Croatian Army The Croatian Army ( or HKoV) is the land force branch of the Croatian Armed Forces. It is numerically the largest of the three branches of the Croatian Armed Forces. The HKoV is the main force for the defense of the country against external threa ...
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
best known for his role in the
Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...
. Korade's long history of violent behaviour resulted in forced retirement in 1997 and culminated in a 2008 shooting spree in which he murdered five people before committing suicide.


Early life and military career

Ivan Korade was born in 1963 in Velika Veternička, a village in
Novi Golubovec Novi Golubovec is a village and municipality in Krapina-Zagorje County in northern Croatia. According to the 2011 census, there are 996 inhabitants in the area, in the following settlements: * Gora Veternička, population 238 * Novi Golubovec, popu ...
municipality, near Zlatar, Hrvatsko Zagorje. Before the start of the
Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...
, he worked as a
central heating A central heating system provides warmth to a number of spaces within a building from one main source of heat. A central heating system has a Furnace (central heating), furnace that converts fuel or electricity to heat through processes. The he ...
installer. His military career began in 1991, when he volunteered for a special operations police unit. After the
Croatian National Guard The Croatian National Guard ( or ZNG) was an armed force established by Croatia in April and May 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence. Although it was established within the framework of the Ministry of the Interior for legal reasons, th ...
was formed, he joined the 1st Guards Brigade ("The Tigers") and became a battalion commander in 1992. He was badly injured in
Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...
in 1992, losing his left arm, but returned to action after only two weeks of recovery, and became the first commander of the newly formed 7th Guards Brigade ("Pumas") in 1993. His brigade was the first to enter
Knin Knin () is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka (Croatia), Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road routes between Zagreb and Split, Croatia, Split. ...
on 5 August 1995, and Korade raised the Croatian flag at the
Knin Fortress Knin Fortress () is located near the tallest mountain in Croatia, Dinara, and near the source of the river Krka (Croatia), Krka. It is the second largest fortress in Croatia and most significant defensive stronghold,Hrvatska enciklopedija, Dalib ...
. He returned to fight in Bosnia in September 1995. He retired in 1997 after causing brawls during football matches at the club "Bojovnik 7".


After retirement

In September 2000, Korade was one of the signers of the
Twelve Generals' Letter The Twelve Generals' Letter () was an open letter, signed by twelve generals of the Croatian Armed Forces, that criticized the government, politicians and media for perceived criminalization of the Croatian War of Independence and asserted that wa ...
. In the following years, he was linked to various crimes, including beatings and
drunk driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is in ...
. In 2001, he was convicted of violent behaviour and maltreatment of a man six years earlier, and Korade received a suspended eight-month sentence. Croatian authorities were criticised for allowing these incidents to occur.


Murders

On 1 April 2008, Korade was charged with the 27 March murders of four people in his native village (Velika Veternička): a 16-year-old boy, a 62-year-old female relative, and two men, including a former aide, Davor Petriš. Croatian media reported that one of the victims was shot in the eyes and another was stabbed with a knife. He went missing after the killings and hundreds of police officers, backed by several helicopters, searched for him in the village and the surrounding area. The manhunt took eight days. In the beginning, he wasn't accused of the murders but arrested and detained by the police as a "person who can help in the resolving of the case". After a few days, police found Korade's vehicle near the forest and started to investigate the forest. Few nights after, police spotted a person who fit "Korade's description" with a thermal vision camera, but did not manage to arrest him.


Death

On 3 April 2008, police officers found a bottle of
alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...
and saw a broken window on one house. They started walking towards the house to investigate it, but suddenly rifle gunshot started from a house and one police officer was wounded. He died on the way to the hospital. Police then surrounded the house and started throwing
tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...
into the house. When police finally broke into the house, Korade was dead. He had been hiding in a house in Velika Veternička when police surrounded him. Surrounded with bombs and other weapons, Korade apparently committed suicide; although local media claimed he had been killed by police.


Aftermath

Korade was buried at Petrova Gora, and the funeral was attended by many of his comrades. The locals of Veternička publicly expressed a desire for him to be buried elsewhere. Mario Kusanić, the policeman fatally shot by Korade, was posthumously decorated with the Order of Petar Zrinski and Fran Krsto Frankopan. By committing suicide, Korade escaped being tried for war crimes during
Operation Mistral 2 Operation Mistral 2, officially codenamed Operation Maestral 2, was a Croatian Army (HV) and Croatian Defence Council (HVO) offensive in western Bosnia and Herzegovina on 8–15 September 1995 as part of the Bosnian War. Its objective was to ...
in
Glamoč Glamoč ( sr-cyrl, Гламоч) is a town and the seat of the Municipality of Glamoč in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the fo ...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina (1995), where he commanded over the "Pumas". By decree of President
Stjepan Mesić Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić (; born 24 December 1934) is a Croatia, Croatian lawyer and politician who served as the president of Croatia from 2000 to 2010. Before serving two five-year terms as president, he was Prime Minister of Croatia, prime minis ...
, all Korade's decorations - except for the
Order of the Croatian Cross Order of the Croatian Cross () is the 15th important medal given by Republic of Croatia. The order was founded on April 1, 1995. Overview The Order of the Croatian Cross is awarded to Croatian and foreign nationals who were severely wounded whi ...
, a wound medal - were posthumously revoked.


References


External links

*
Svi Koradeovi ekscesi

Miljavac: Korade je bio režiser varaždinskog vojnog puča iz 1997.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Korade, Ivan 1963 births 2008 suicides 2008 deaths Croatian army officers Croatian mass murderers Croatian military personnel who died by suicide Military personnel of the Croatian War of Independence People from Krapina-Zagorje County Suicides by firearm in Croatia