Djindjic suspect denies killing

Milorad Lukovic says the Red Berets were not involved in the murder

The chief suspect in the killing of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic has denied involvement, claiming a political plot was to blame.

Former commando Milorad Lukovic told the Belgrade court he had "absolutely nothing to do with this event".

He also claimed former members of Mr Djindjic's party had asked him to smuggle drugs abroad on their behalf.

There has been speculation that he could use his trial to implicate senior political figures in the 2003 murder.

Mr Djindjic was getting out of his official car outside government buildings in Belgrade when he was fatally shot on 12 March.

The Serbian authorities believe Mr Djindjic's murder was part of a plot to overthrow the government, sparked partly by opposition to its co-operation with the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, and partly by fears of a clampdown on organised crime.

Mr Lukovic, 36, is the former head of a state security force and is alleged to have been part of the criminal underworld.

On Monday he told the court: "Regarding the allegations in the indictment I do not feel guilty. I did not associate with anyone nor did I commit enemy activities against anyone or against my people."

'Drug deal'

He added: "Neither me nor any members of the (Red Berets secret police force) organised or participated in the attack against the late Prime Minister Djindjic."

Mr Lukovic said he was convinced that the indictment "was written under political influence of the people who brought about the killing of the prime minister with their unprofessional work".

I was told that the idea was to sell these drugs in the West as they said the West is giving us bombs so we are giving them drugs Milorad Lukovic

He went on to claim that he had been asked by former members of Mr Djindjic's Democratic Party to smuggle 700kg (1,500lb) of heroin to countries in Western Europe on their behalf in 2001.

"I was told that the idea was to sell these drugs in the West as they said the West is giving us bombs so we are giving them drugs," he said, in apparent reference to the Nato bombing of Serbia in 1999 at the end of the war in Kosovo.

"I liked that idea of revenge against the West for 78 days of aggression so I was asked to think about ways to transfer these drugs into Bosnia, Croatia and Romania on the way to Western Europe."

He was then, he said, paid to leave Serbia for a while.

The assassination trial started in December with Mr Lukovic being tried in his absence.

Other charges

Five out of 13 suspects have been in the dock including the alleged gunman, Zvezdan Jovanovic.

Mr Lukovic is not only accused of plotting Mr Djindjic's assassination.

He is also accused of assassinating the former Yugoslav president, Ivan Stambolic, in 2000 and of attempting to kill Vuk Draskovic, now the foreign minister of Serbia and Montenegro, in 1999.

The BBC's Matt Prodger, in Belgrade, says Mr Lukovic's testimony comes at an important moment in Serbia , in the middle of presidential elections.

The Democratic Party's candidate, Boris Tadic, will contest the run-off on 27 June and is seeking to unite other parties behind him.

Our correspondent says some observers hope that Mr Lukovic's evidence will shed light on the connections between government, police and organised crime in Serbia. But others express doubts about the reliability of his evidence.