Husband Put Out Fire with Water Bottle, I Called 112
A married couple caught four people setting a fire near Raštević, and the investigation is now being led by USKOK and DORH on suspicion of terrorism and organized sabotage.
A married couple caught four people setting a fire near Raštević, and the investigation is now being led by USKOK and DORH on suspicion of terrorism and organized sabotage.
Four people have been arrested in the wider Benkovac area on suspicion of being linked to a series of fires in the Zadar region, and USKOK and DORH have joined the investigation, not ruling out the possibility of terrorism and organized sabotage. It all started last night, August 15, 2026, after 8 PM, when locals reported four suspicious individuals to the police.
A married couple driving with their children toward Škabrnja played a key role in uncovering the suspects. In the dark, they spotted an initial flame and a suspicious parked vehicle by the road. According to the Croatian Herald report, the husband put out the fire with a water bottle, while the wife, despite verbal provocations and attempts at intimidation by the people they encountered, managed to note down the license plates and call 112.
According to testimony given to Dnevnik.hr, the witness recounted seeing a man who started to flee, and that she remembered the registration and called the police. Her tip led to a swift police response.
Following the tip, the Zadar Police Department set up roadblocks on key routes. The vehicle that raised suspicion was quickly found and stopped, and all four individuals were taken into custody and brought to police premises. According to unofficial information from RTL, it was a black BMW with Zadar license plates.
As reported by XPress.hr, among those arrested are three Croatian citizens of Serbian ethnicity and one foreign national. HRT Vijesti Hrvatska, however, reports that all those arrested are Croatian citizens and residents of villages in the Benkovac area, while Narodno.hr states they are three Croatian citizens and one Polish national. Sources do not agree on the exact citizenship and ethnicity of those arrested.
The scale of the event is illustrated by data from the Zadar County Fire Operations Center. During the night, from 7:00 PM to 1:30 AM, ten open-space fires were reported and detected via cameras. Fires broke out in Biljane Donje, Galovac near the overpass, Raštević, Zapužane, Lišane Tinjske, Zagradi, Dobropoljci, Biograd na Moru (Torovi), and Polača.
According to firefighters, all fires were quickly brought under control and fully extinguished. The investigation is now focused on checking a possible connection between those arrested and the series of fires that have recently occurred in the Zadar region.
The County State Attorney's Office (DORH) and USKOK have joined the case. According to available information, authorities are investigating the case because they suspect it involves a deliberate and coordinated terrorist act and organized sabotage against the security of Croatia and its property.
Experts from the "Ivan Vučetić" Center for Criminal and Forensic Expertise are collecting traces from clothing, footwear, and the vehicle to determine whether there are particles of flammable liquids or other ignition agents. Seized mobile phones, GPS devices, and other digital traces are also being analyzed to reconstruct the suspects' movements and establish any possible connection to recent fires in Zadar and Split-Dalmatia counties.
Croatia Today reports a comment from an unnamed MP: "Let's keep pampering the vipers". The same source also cites MP Anušić, who said that the number of fires breaking out in a single day, exactly when bura winds or strong winds are forecast, is illogical.
Once initial interrogations and evidence collection are complete, the state attorney's offices and USKOK are expected to publicly announce the legal qualification of the criminal offense and the next steps.
