Nikola Kavaja
Encyclopedia
Nikola Kavaja (1933 – 10 November 2008) was a Montenegrin Serb nationalist and anti-communist known for his 1979 bombing of a Yugoslav consul’s home and the American Airlines Flight 293 hijacking.
of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
in 1933, in the Old Serbia
area of modern-day Montenegro
to a family drawing descent from Dečani
in Metohija
. As a child he lived in Peć
. In April 1941, Nazi Germany
invaded and occupied Yugoslavia and his family was split up and sent to different prison camps in Albania
. In 1944 he returned to Peć to find his family. By his own account, he killed someone for the first time in his life that year when he pushed a wounded German soldier into a well.
airport. He evaded arrest, and a man who was not involved in the explosion was tried and executed. When his commander in the secret group was arrested, he deserted the air force. He was arrested by Yugoslav authorities while attempting to cross the border into Austria
; however, after serving four years of an 18-and-a-half year sentence, Kavaja escaped and made it to Austria
. There, he was detained by Austrian authorities and transferred to an American Army base. After seven months of investigation by American authorities who suspected him of ties to the KGB
, Kavaja began to carry out missions for the CIA against Yugoslavia and the USSR, including "sabotage, spying, exposing double agents, assassinations."
According to Kavaja, one of his major assignments from the CIA was to assassinate Josip Broz Tito
, president of Yugoslavia. Tito traveled to Brazil
and Kavaja followed, but the chance to kill the president was foiled when Tito stayed indoors for his entire stay. Kavaja followed Tito from Brazil to Chile
, Mexico
and the United States. Upon arrival in America, he and his companions had to be especially careful because he was wanted by the FBI, which did not always share sources with the CIA.
Kavaja claimed that in 1971, he staked out Camp David
, disguised as a Maryland
State Trooper, in order to kill Tito, who was visiting United States President Richard Nixon
. Once again, he was foiled when Tito stayed indoors.
and Ottawa, Canada, and consulates in New York City
, Chicago
, San Francisco and Toronto
.
In 1978, Kavaja and Sopo companions numbering over one hundred (including Stojilko Kajević) were arrested in New York by American law enforcement. Kavaja was released on $250,000 bail, and after visiting his family in New York, he promptly hijacked an American Airlines 727 (Flight 293 from New York City to Chicago). He planned to demand Kajević's release, then fly to Belgrade
and crash into Ušće Tower
, the Communist Central Committee Building. When he realized that Kajević would not be released, he let the plane's passengers go, retaining only a pilot, a co-pilot, a flight attendant and his own lawyer. He forced the crew to fly from Chicago to JFK Airport in New York City. There, he transferred to a larger plane. Initially hoping to still fly to Belgrade, on the advice of his lawyer he flew to Ireland, which did not have an extradition agreement with the United States. Hoping for political asylum, Kavaja surrendered in Ireland and was returned to America to again face a criminal trial.
Kavaja was in prison from 1979 to 1997 and was to have remained on parole until 2019. He violated parole by returning to Yugoslavia; had he returned to the United States he would have been arrested and returned to jail.
On his return to Yugoslavia, Kavaja formed a military unit for the defence of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. A training camp was established in Piva
, Montenegro, where recruits undertook six months training. However his unit was never given permission to be used against the Kosovo Liberation Army
.
Nikola Kavaja was arrested on April 1, 2003 during the Operation Sablja
following the assassination of Zoran Đinđić. Kavaja was soon released.
Filmmaker Milan Knežević made a documentary about Kavaja called Nikola Kavaja - lovac na Tita ("Nikola Kavaja - Tito's hunter"), which was shown at the 1994 Edinburgh Film Festival.
Kavaja died from a heart attack at his home in Belgrade in 2008.
Youth
Kavaja was born in the Zeta BanovinaZeta Banovina
The Zeta Banovina or Zeta Banate was a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. This province consisted of all of the present-day Montenegro as well as adjacent parts of Central Serbia, Kosovo, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina...
of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
in 1933, in the Old Serbia
Old Serbia
Old Serbia is a modern name for the territory which was the core of medieval Serbia. It included Raška , Kosovo and Metohija and the Macedonia...
area of modern-day Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
to a family drawing descent from Dečani
Decani
Decani is the side of a church choir occupied by the Dean. In English churches this is typically the choir stalls on the south side of the chancel, although there are some notable exceptions, such as Durham Cathedral and Southwell Minster...
in Metohija
Metohija
Metohija , is a large basin and the name of the region covering the southwestern part of Kosovo.It encompasses three of the seven districts of Kosovo, namely the historical :* District of Peć * District of Đakovica * District of Prizren...
. As a child he lived in Peć
Pec
Peć or Pejë is a city and municipality in north-western Kosovo and Metohija - Serbia, and the administrative centre of the homonymous district. Governor of city is Ali Berisha....
. In April 1941, Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invaded and occupied Yugoslavia and his family was split up and sent to different prison camps in Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. In 1944 he returned to Peć to find his family. By his own account, he killed someone for the first time in his life that year when he pushed a wounded German soldier into a well.
Military and intelligence career
Early in life, Kavaja served in the Yugoslav Air Force, studying at the Air Force Academy in Pančevo where he rose to the rank of colonel. Later he grew disillusioned with the communist regime, which controlled Yugoslavia, and joined a secret Anti-communist group. In June 1953, as part of his clandestine activities, he sabotaged gas tanks at the SomborSombor
Sombor is a city and municipality located in northwest part of Serbian autonomous province of Vojvodina. The city has a total population of 48,749 , while the Sombor municipality has 87,815 inhabitants...
airport. He evaded arrest, and a man who was not involved in the explosion was tried and executed. When his commander in the secret group was arrested, he deserted the air force. He was arrested by Yugoslav authorities while attempting to cross the border into Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
; however, after serving four years of an 18-and-a-half year sentence, Kavaja escaped and made it to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. There, he was detained by Austrian authorities and transferred to an American Army base. After seven months of investigation by American authorities who suspected him of ties to the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
, Kavaja began to carry out missions for the CIA against Yugoslavia and the USSR, including "sabotage, spying, exposing double agents, assassinations."
According to Kavaja, one of his major assignments from the CIA was to assassinate Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
, president of Yugoslavia. Tito traveled to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Kavaja followed, but the chance to kill the president was foiled when Tito stayed indoors for his entire stay. Kavaja followed Tito from Brazil to Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and the United States. Upon arrival in America, he and his companions had to be especially careful because he was wanted by the FBI, which did not always share sources with the CIA.
Kavaja claimed that in 1971, he staked out Camp David
Camp David
Camp David is the country retreat of the President of the United States and his guests. It is located in low wooded hills about 60 mi north-northwest of Washington, D.C., on the property of Catoctin Mountain Park in unincorporated Frederick County, Maryland, near Thurmont, at an elevation of...
, disguised as a Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
State Trooper, in order to kill Tito, who was visiting United States President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
. Once again, he was foiled when Tito stayed indoors.
Freedom for the Serbian Fatherland
Kavaja was a central figure in an allegedly CIA-funded group called Freedom for the Serbian Fatherland (also known as SOPO). Kavaja claimed that this organization bombed Yugoslav embassies in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and Ottawa, Canada, and consulates in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, San Francisco and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
In 1978, Kavaja and Sopo companions numbering over one hundred (including Stojilko Kajević) were arrested in New York by American law enforcement. Kavaja was released on $250,000 bail, and after visiting his family in New York, he promptly hijacked an American Airlines 727 (Flight 293 from New York City to Chicago). He planned to demand Kajević's release, then fly to Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
and crash into Ušće Tower
Ušce Tower
Ušće Tower is the tallest skyscraper in Belgrade, capital of Serbia, and the second-tallest building overall, after the Avala tower...
, the Communist Central Committee Building. When he realized that Kajević would not be released, he let the plane's passengers go, retaining only a pilot, a co-pilot, a flight attendant and his own lawyer. He forced the crew to fly from Chicago to JFK Airport in New York City. There, he transferred to a larger plane. Initially hoping to still fly to Belgrade, on the advice of his lawyer he flew to Ireland, which did not have an extradition agreement with the United States. Hoping for political asylum, Kavaja surrendered in Ireland and was returned to America to again face a criminal trial.
Kavaja was in prison from 1979 to 1997 and was to have remained on parole until 2019. He violated parole by returning to Yugoslavia; had he returned to the United States he would have been arrested and returned to jail.
On his return to Yugoslavia, Kavaja formed a military unit for the defence of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. A training camp was established in Piva
Piva
Piva may refer to:* Piva , a river in Montenegro* Piva, Montenegro, a region in Montenegro and the clan* Piva language, a member of the Piva-Banoni languages* Piva , an Italian folk instrument* Piva , a Renaissance dance...
, Montenegro, where recruits undertook six months training. However his unit was never given permission to be used against the Kosovo Liberation Army
Kosovo Liberation Army
The Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA was a Kosovar Albanian paramilitary organization which sought the separation of Kosovo from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1990s....
.
Nikola Kavaja was arrested on April 1, 2003 during the Operation Sablja
Operation Sablja
The Operation Sablja was launched on March 12, 2003, following the assassination of Zoran Đinđić, the Prime Minister of Serbia. The assassination destabilized the government. Immediately after the assassination, a state of emergency was declared by interim president Nataša Mićić...
following the assassination of Zoran Đinđić. Kavaja was soon released.
Filmmaker Milan Knežević made a documentary about Kavaja called Nikola Kavaja - lovac na Tita ("Nikola Kavaja - Tito's hunter"), which was shown at the 1994 Edinburgh Film Festival.
Kavaja died from a heart attack at his home in Belgrade in 2008.