Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit
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Anti-Terrorist Unit Lučko (ATU Lučko) (, also known as the Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit ( is the
police tactical unit A police tactical unit (PTU) is a specialized police unit trained and equipped to handle situations that are beyond the capabilities of ordinary law enforcement units because of the level of violence (or risk of violence) involved. The tasks of a ...
of the
Croatian Police Law enforcement in Croatia is the responsibility of the Croatian Police (), which is the national police force of the country subordinated by the Ministry of the Interior (Croatia), Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia, carrying o ...
stationed in
Lučko Lučko is a settlement in the Novi Zagreb - zapad district of the city of Zagreb, located south of the Sava and southwest of the city center. Lučko is located near the Lučko interchange that connects the A1 motorway, the Zagreb bypass and t ...
near
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
, the capital of
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
. Initially distinguishing itself 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 ...
, it has gone on to become Croatia's leading police tactical unit. Like all police units in the country, it is under the command of the
Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...
. It is a member of the
ATLAS Network Atlas Network, formerly known as Atlas Economic Research Foundation, is a non-governmental, non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization based in the United States that provides training, networking, and grants for libertarian, free-market, and Conserva ...
, an association of European police tactical units. Several of its operators have gone on to achieve notability, including Croatian mixed martial arts fighter Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović.


History

The unit was established on 7 September 1990. It initially comprised 225 volunteers, many of whom had been enrolled in the First Croatian Police Officer course (), which was formed in order to create a police force loyal to the new Croatian government during the political tensions leading to Croatia's proclamation of independence from Yugoslavia, and the subsequent escalation of 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 ...
. It was the first Croatian fighting unit taking part in the war. It was also the only fighting unit of Croatian Special Police Forces at that time, and the first unit of the future Croatian Special Police. Its first missions were to restore public order in areas where Serbs participating in the Log Revolution were trying to wrest control from the authorities; to take control of the barracks and confiscate weapons of the
Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...
, whose authority in Croatia was rescinded by the country's government after it sided with the Log Revolution; and to train units which would later be organised into the
Croatian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia () are the national military forces of Croatia. The Croatian military consists of three service branches: the Croatian Army, the Croatian Navy and the Croatian Air Force. The OSRH is headed by the ...
. The unit saw its first military skirmish on 1 March 1991, the
Pakrac clash The Pakrac clash, known in Croatia as the Battle of Pakrac (), was a bloodless skirmish that took place in the Croatian town of Pakrac in March 1991. The clash was a result of increasing ethnic tensions in Croatia during the breakup of Yugoslav ...
. It took part in many battles during the war, including the
Plitvice Lakes incident The Plitvice Lakes incident ( or ''Plitvički krvavi Uskrs'', both translating as "Plitvice Bloody Easter") was an armed clash at the beginning of the Croatian War of Independence. It was fought between Croatian police and armed forces from the ...
, battles of
Glina Glina is a word of Slavic origin, meaning "clay". It may refer to: * Glina, Croatia, a town in Croatia * Glina (river) in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina * Glina, Piotrków County, a village in Łódź Voivodeship, central Poland * Glina, Sie ...
,
Topusko Topusko is a Municipalities of Croatia, municipality and settlement in Sisak-Moslavina County, Croatia. Topusko is an underdeveloped municipality which is statistically classified as the Areas of Special State Concern (Croatia), First Category Are ...
,
Petrinja Petrinja () is a town in central Croatia near Sisak in the historic region of Banija, Banovina. It is administratively located in Sisak-Moslavina County. On December 29, 2020, the town was 2020 Petrinja earthquake, hit by a strong earthquake wit ...
,
Nuštar Nuštar () is a village and municipality in eastern Croatia, located northeast of Vinkovci and west of Vukovar, on the route D55. The population of Nuštar is 3,639, with a total of 5,772 people in the municipality, which also includes the near ...
, the
Siege of Dubrovnik The siege of Dubrovnik ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, opsada Dubrovnika, опсада Дубровника) was a military engagement fought between the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and Croatian forces defending the city of Dubrovnik and its surroundings dur ...
, and Operations
Maslenica Maslenica is a village in the municipality of Jasenice in Zadar County, Dalmatia, Croatia. It is situated in Novigrad Sea. Waters are quite clear due to the Zrmanja river which flows into this gulf. History The village was built 1000 years a ...
,
Medak Pocket Operation Medak Pocket ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Operacija Medački džep, Операција Медачки џеп), officially called by Croatians Operation Pocket-93 ''(Operacija Džep-93)'' was a military operation undertaken by the Croatian Army betw ...
,
Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * The Flash, several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Barry Allen ** Wally West, the first Kid Flash and third adult Flash ...
and
Storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstor ...
. In October 1991, the unit spearheaded an unsuccessful attempt to lift the siege of Vukovar, during this attempt the unit suffered 12 fatalities. Members of Lučko ATU's chain of command, including General Mladen Markač, were
tried In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, wh ...
by the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a body of the United Nations that was established to prosecute the war crimes in the Yugoslav Wars, war crimes that had been committed during the Yugoslav Wars and to tr ...
(ICTY) for alleged war crimes committed during Operation Storm. They were acquitted of all charges on appeal. After the Croatian War of Independence, the unit specialised in
special police Special police usually describes a law enforcement agency or unit within a such an agency whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same nation, jurisdiction, or from other personnel within the same agen ...
assignments. During the course of the war, 14, 19, or 24 Lučko ATU police officers were killed and 52 wounded in the unit of 350 members. Subsequently, none of the members have been killed on duty, although several have perished at training in diving accidents.


Organisation and specialisations

Lučko ATU is stationed in
Lučko Lučko is a settlement in the Novi Zagreb - zapad district of the city of Zagreb, located south of the Sava and southwest of the city center. Lučko is located near the Lučko interchange that connects the A1 motorway, the Zagreb bypass and t ...
, near
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
, the capital of Croatia. As of 2015, the unit numbered 130 police officers, most of whom have college education. Applicants, who must already be police officers with at least four years of experience, are required to pass a demanding battery of tests, and only around 5% are admitted to a 12-month training regimen necessary to join the unit. Like the rest of the Croatian police force, the unit is under command of the Croatian
Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...
. It answers to the Minister of the Interior, and is only deployed on their direct command. The unit's specialisations are anti-terrorist actions, actions against organised crime, high-risk arrests, building assaults, hostage situations and negotiations (including aircraft hijackings). Lučko ATU also provides police protection to local and visiting state officials, and has done so during visits to Croatia of
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
,
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
,
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
,
Donald Tusk Donald Franciszek Tusk (born 22 April 1957) is a Polish politician and historian who has served as the prime minister of Poland since 2023, previously holding the office from 2007 to 2014. Tusk served as the president of the European Council (20 ...
and Popes
John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
and
Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, his resignation on 28 Februar ...
. Lučko ATU is a member of the
ATLAS Network Atlas Network, formerly known as Atlas Economic Research Foundation, is a non-governmental, non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization based in the United States that provides training, networking, and grants for libertarian, free-market, and Conserva ...
of European police tactical units, and also trains with American
SWAT A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations. SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...
teams.


Equipment

Lučko ATU members are armed with pistols (including models of Croatian firearms manufacturer
HS Produkt HS Produkt d.o.o. is a Croatia, Croatian firearms manufacturing company, best known for design and production of the HS2000 and XDM series of semi-automatic pistols, which are sold in the United States market by Springfield Armory, Inc., under the ...
),
submachine gun A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine (firearms), magazine-fed automatic firearm, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to descri ...
s,
assault rifle An assault rifle is a select fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge, intermediate-rifle cartridge and a Magazine (firearms), detachable magazine.C. Taylor, ''The Fighting Rifle: A Complete Study of the Rifle in Combat'', F.A. Moyer '' ...
s,
shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, peppergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which discharges numerous small ...
s and optionally
sniper rifle A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long range shooting, long-range rifle. Requirements include high accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment, and optics, for anti-personnel weapon, anti-personnel, anti-materiel rifle, anti-materiel and sur ...
s, and authorised to use armoured cars and helicopters. Lučko ATU's air unit, stationed at the
Lučko Airport Lučko is a settlement in the Novi Zagreb - zapad district of the city of Zagreb, located south of the Sava and southwest of the city center. Lučko is located near the Lučko interchange that connects the A1 motorway, the Zagreb bypass and the ...
, numbers thirty pilots and mechanics, and the unit is reportedly able to reach any part of Croatia within 30 minutes.


Notable members

Professional mixed martial artist Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović was a member of the Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit. He wore his Croatian special police uniform at press conferences, leading to his
mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...
nickname "Cro Cop". Seven generals of the
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 ...
were previously members: Slavko Butorac, Miljenko Filipović,
Mladen Markač Mladen Markač (; born 8 May 1955) is a Croatian retired general. He was a Commander of Croatian Special Police during Operation Storm during the Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995), and afterwards held the rank of Colonel General. Later, ...
,
Mirko Norac Mirko Norac (born 19 September 1967) is a former Croatian general of the Croatian Army (HV), and a convicted war criminal. He was the first Croatian Army general to be found guilty of war crimes by a Croatian court, in 2003, after his case was t ...
, Ante Roso, Željko Sačić and Stanko Sopta.


References


External links


Prvi Hrvatski Redarstvenik
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucko Anti-Terrorist Unit 1990 establishments in Croatia ATLAS Network Law enforcement in Croatia Organizations based in Zagreb Organizations established in 1990 Police tactical units Recipients of the Charter of the Republic of Croatia