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Dutch Investigate How War Criminal Got Poison Into Court

Slobodan Praljak committed suicide before Hague panel.

Dutch authorities have officially opened an investigation into how Slobodan Praljak, a Bosnian Croat war criminal, smuggled poison into a courtroom in The Hague on Wednesday and committed suicide in front of the world. Just seconds after losing his appeal, the 72-year-old former general declared, “Slobodan Praljak is not a war criminal. I am rejecting the court ruling.” Then he downed a glass bottle full of liquid and said, “I have taken poison.” The judge quickly halted the hearing, and Praljak was taken to a local hospital, where he immediately fell ill and died. The substance he ingested has yet to be identified.