President Zoran Milanovic has written to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic proposing convening the National Security Council to discuss the impact of radicalisation on the state of security following the October 12 armed attack on the government building, Hina learned form the President's Office on Tuesday.

Milanovic said in the letter he was confident that Plenkovic would agree that “last week’s attack on the police and government was a crime with possible elements of terrorism which, according to the information available so far, was triggered by radicalisation in our society that led to violent extremism.”

“I am confident that the competent services are capable of guaranteeing the safety of the state leadership and therefore I do not see it as a problem that requires particular discussion. However, we must take account of our fellow citizens who in the circumstances of radicalisation and a crisis that can be felt not just in Croatia, are exposed to violence that can escalate at any point into such or similar attacks,” the president said in the letter to the prime minister.

In the president’s opinion, radicalisation in society that leads to such crimes poses a threat to national security.

“In such a situation, we are bound not just by the Constitution but also by the trust that the citizens placed in us at the elections to try and find appropriate solutions. There are issues on which we disagree, but when it comes to possible threats to national security and the well-being of our citizens, we need to talk and act together,” Milanovic wrote.

He said that the meeting should focus not just on what had happened but should primarily address common action to reduce the risk of violent extremism.