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Milosevic arrested
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SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC has been arrested, an official statement from the Serbian Government confirmed yesterday, ending a tense standoff between authorities and the former Yugoslav president.
On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of Milosevic's supporters and special police forces gathered around Milosevic's house. The tension grew as gunshots were heard near Milosevic's house.
Serbian Interior Minister Dusan Mihajlovic said the arrest was not intended to hand Milosevic over to the UN tribunal, "but to hand him over to an investigative judge under domestic laws".
Criminal charges were filed against Milosevic on Friday, Mihajlovic said.
Police official Miodrag Vukovic said the original charges against Milosevic were abuse of power and corruption that cost the country close to US$100 million, and that Milosevic would face a maximum five-year prison term if convicted.
Milosevic is also wanted by the UN war crimes tribunal to face the charge of crimes against humanity for alleged atrocities committed in Kosovo in 1999.
Milosevic gave himself up in the early hours yesterday morning at his residence where he had been holed up for over 24 hours after resisting two previous arrest attempts.
The commando raid came just before the expiry of a deadline set by US legislation for US President George W Bush to declare whether Yugoslavia is co-operating with the UN tribunal and can avoid economic sanctions and withholding of aid.(SD-Xinhua)
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