Standoff at Milosevic villa

Scenes outside the home of Slobodan Milosevic

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- Former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic is under siege in his home after police tried to issue him with an arrest warrant.

Masked police stormed Milosevic's home to serve the warrant but were met with gunfire from the ex-leader's bodyguards.

Milosevic -- who is holed up with a group of loyal supporters -- has said he "will not be taken to prison alive."

Serbian Interior Minister Dusan Mihajlovic said police were authorised to arrest Milosevic on domestic charges of abuse of office rather than for extradition to the Hague War Crimes tribunal on alleged war crimes in Kosovo.

He said: "You can put it like this -- Milosevic will be under house arrest until he agrees to show up in front of an investigating judge.

AUDIO CNN's Walter Rodgers: Milosevic is defiant 580K/53 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Timing of the arrest 490K/45 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Milosevic bodyguards fight on 640K/59 sec. AIFF or WAV sound CNN producer Zoran Maric recounts the gunshot incident outside Milosevic's home 306K/27 sec. AIFF or WAV sound    VIDEO CNN's Alessio Vinci reports on Milosevic's rule over Yugoslavia and his arrest by the police he once commanded Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) See police storm Milosevic's residence as shots are fired Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Jonathan Mann speaks with Florence Hartmann of the War Crimes Tribunal about the reported arrest of Milosevic Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Jonathan Mann speaks with Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Zarko Kovac about Milosevic's arrest Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     Quickvote What should happen to Slobodan Milosevic? He should stand trial in The Hague He should stand trial in Yugoslavia He should be a free man View Results   TRANSCRIPT CNN's Joie Chen talks to Andrea Koppel about the U.S. stance on Milosevic   ALSO Milosevic: Accused mastermind of ethnic cleansing Milosevic arrest could mean $50 million for Yugoslavia Milosevic: The world reacts

"Either he will face the judge on his own, or we will do it by force. When police officials decide it is secure to take an action to arrest Milosevic, it will be taken."

He added the authorities were prepared to wait before arresting Milosevic and that they hoped to carry out the arrest without bloodshed.

CNN's Walter Rodgers said it was not known exactly how many loyalists were with Milosevic in his villa or for how long they could keep the police at bay.

Milosevic has so far refused to accept the arrest warrant saying the officers were “NATO lackies.”

The operation to arrest Milosevic came as a U.S. deadline approached for Yugoslavia to co-operate with the international war crimes tribunal.

Police stormed Milosevic’s villa shortly after he had appeared from his Belgrade home to the cheers of his supporters.

Police vans rammed the gates of his villa and officers armed with military assault rifles were deployed inside the grounds.

Bodyguards and police exchanged fire as special forces smashed through a window and tried to enter the house.

Two police officers were injured in the assault and one journalist was seen with a bloodied hand.

Outside the compound hundreds of riot police prevented Milosevic’s supporters from surrounding the house. About 1,000 people -- both Milosevic supporters and opponents -- were outside the grounds.

Richard Holbrooke, who tried to broker an agreement between the U.N. and Yugoslavia before the Kosovo conflict, said: "Milosevic is now fully discredited or will be shortly whether he is in the Hague or in a Belgrade cell. Politically he is over."

The government of President Vojislav Kostunica has not issued any statements on the operation.

But the operation came as a U.S. deadline for co-operation with the war crimes tribunal approached.

Washington has threatened to withhold $50 million in aid unless Kostunica works with the war crimes tribunal. A key aspect of that co-operation is handing over Milosevic who has been indicted on war crime charges over Kosovo.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told CNN, "What the Serb people really want to do is to be able to hold up their heads again and be a part of the new Europe. And (Milosevic's arrest) is a step that needs to be taken to accomplish that."

Florence Hartman, with the War Crimes Tribunal, said: “We are expecting immediately a commitment of the Yugoslav state that they will transfer him. We are ready for a trial."

"It is a trial on crimes against humanity. It is a very important charge against him."

In Washington, President George W. Bush said, "We've always said Mr. Milosevic should be brought to justice."

Milosevic, 59, ruled Yugoslavia for 13 years and pushed the country's military and militias into a succession of brutal wars with neighbouring republics and finally against the NATO alliance until he was toppled last October in a popular uprising.

The U.N. tribunal in May 1999 formally indicted then-Yugoslav President Milosevic for alleged war crimes, accusing him of authorising a military campaign against civilians in the Serb province of Kosovo.

The indictment marked the first time a sitting head of state had been charged with war crimes. Milosevic, along with four subordinates, were charged with murder, deportation and persecution in violation of the laws and customs of war.

British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said: "I welcome any move which helps bring Milosevic to justice. It is vital that Milosevic answers these charges."

Photographer Andrija Ilic suffered a gunshot wound during the raid

Milosevic led his country through bloody wars against the neighbouring republics of Bosnia, Croatia and, briefly against Slovenia, as well as the province of Kosovo, pitting Serbs against Albanians. This brought on his final conflict against the NATO alliance, ending in defeat.

Carl Bildt, U.N. special envoy to the Balkans, said the developments show Yugoslavia is "playing by the rules."

"They know that he was evil. They know that he was bad," Bildt said. "But they find it difficult to accept that the international community is not, in the same way, dealing with what they consider crimes against Serbs during these horrible wars over the last 10 years."

Official: Milosevic arrested
March 30, 2001
Police surround Milosevic home
March 30, 2001
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March 27, 2001
Del Ponte welcomes Belgrade move
March 26, 2001
Milosevic greets anti-NATO protesters
March 24, 2001
Kostunica criticises warcrimes process
March 25, 2001
Serbs hand over war crimes suspect
March 23, 2001
Milosevic net tightens, U.N. told
March 20, 2001

International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

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