I fear that now every Croat of Islamic faith can be a target

The murder of Tomislav Salopek, a Croatian citizen, is a crime with a personal history that the peoples of this region understand and feel as their own, says security expert from the Sarajevo Faculty of Criminalistics Goran Kovačević, who is also the president of the Association "Friends of BH".

The tragedy, after ISIL killed the innocent Croatian citizen Salopek in the most brutal way, according to Kovačević, has produced the worst outcome: the Croatian public has split into those who mourn and those who seek revenge.

Some mourn their fellow citizen, which is human and natural, while others express anger and seek an opportunity for „justice to be served“.

- It is bad that justice and culprits are being sought in Croatia. I fear that now every Croat of Islamic faith can be an object upon which that „justice“ will be served – says Kovačević for the Bosnian news agency Patria, adding that Croatia is now at a crossroads: to veer into barbarism or to continue on the path of democratic construction of its own society, which is at risk of radicalization and the creation of distrust towards Croats who are not Catholics.

That there is a real possibility that justice for Salopek's murder will begin to be sought in Croatia, warns Kovačević, is indicated by statements from various officials and prominent figures in Croatia, from religious leaders to media magnates, who in their public appearances do not mince words in expressing dissatisfaction and anger over the murder of Tomislav Salopek.

- People of reputation and those holding prominent social positions must be mindful that their public actions will have either positive or negative reflections within their society and throughout the entire region – warned Kovačević.

The recent unfortunate events in Tomislavgrad, recalls Kovačević, when Bosniak property was attacked, show that the intemperate statements of Croatian officials have provoked negative reactions and motivated certain groups to carry out reprisals against Bosniaks and their religious sites in the neighboring country.