Aide to Serb Official Wounded in Attack

A top aide and longtime bodyguard of Serbia’s vice premier was shot and seriously wounded in another high-profile attack in the crime-ridden dominant republic of Yugoslavia. Petar Panic, 33, a security advisor and close associate of Vojislav Seselj, was shot near his home in a Belgrade suburb. Police identified the gunman as Ljubimir Jovanovic, 29. The attack came about two weeks after the slaying of Zeljko Raznatovic, known as “Arkan,” the country’s top paramilitary leader and an ultranationalist figure. It may indicate a showdown in Serbia’s underworld of political, paramilitary and mob leaders. Panic was in critical condition, the Beta news agency said.