Four Suspects in Ten Fires in Zadar County
Three Croatian nationals and a 33-year-old Polish woman were arrested on suspicion of setting fires at ten locations according to a pre-arranged plan, and weapons were also found in their possession.
Three Croatian nationals and a 33-year-old Polish woman were arrested on suspicion of setting fires at ten locations according to a pre-arranged plan, and weapons were also found in their possession.
The Zadar Police Department has completed a criminal investigation into three Croatian nationals aged 46, 45, and 42, as well as a 33-year-old Polish national. They are accused of deliberately setting fires at ten different locations across Zadar County on August 14 and 15, 2026, as reported by Zadarski list.
The pivotal moment occurred on August 15 after 8 PM when police received a citizen report of fire being set along the roadside in the wider Benkovac area. An intervention team quickly located and detained four suspects in a vehicle with Zadar license plates.
It was established that all four individuals, acting according to a pre-arranged plan and mutual agreement, used open flames or flammable parts of lighters to intentionally start fires. Their goal was to endanger the lives and property of numerous residents of Zadar County.
Their unlawful actions resulted in fires in Zadar's Bili Brig neighborhood, as well as in the areas of Zemunik Donji, Galovac, Donji Biljani, Zapužane, Zemunik, Zagrad, Lišane Tinjske, Škabrnja, and Benkovac.
According to the investigations conducted so far at the fire sites, a parked vehicle belonging to a 53-year-old man was completely burned to the ground in Bili Brig. In an olive grove owned by a 48-year-old man between Škabrnja and Zemunik Donji, the fire completely destroyed 43 olive trees.
Firefighting units extinguished the fires with the assistance of aerial forces. Significant material damage was caused, and the police, in cooperation with the State Attorney's Office, are continuing investigations and collecting data on damages that have not yet been reported or recorded.
Based on a court order from the investigating judge of the Zadar County Court, searches were conducted of the homes, other premises, and vehicles used by the suspects. A semi-automatic rifle with 44 rounds of ammunition was seized from the 42-year-old, while a pistol and several mobile devices were seized from the 46-year-old.
Following the investigation, the suspects were handed over to the custody supervisor of the Zadar Police Department within the legal timeframe. A criminal report for causing multiple fires, along with the evidence collected so far, has been submitted to the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Zadar.
The police and the competent State Attorney's Office are continuing the investigation and evidentiary proceedings. The final legal assessment of the offense will depend on all established facts, as stated in the press release reported by HRT.
