Croatian publisher killed by car bomb

ZAGREB, Croatia, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Ivo Pukanic, founder and publisher of the Croatian news weekly Nacional, was killed Thursday by a car bomb placed under his automobile in Zagreb.

Niko Franic, the magazine's marketing director, also died in the blast, The Times of London reported.

Nacional was known for its investigations into political corruption and organized crime.

President Stjepan Mesic called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council.

"The criminal underworld has confronted the country with an unprecedented challenge," he said. "This is the moment when our society must stand as one because the question we are facing is: us, the rule of law, or them, the criminals, the terrorists and the mafia."

Croatia has had a string of recent killings of journalists, lawyers and business leaders. The government promised to target organized crime after Ivana Hodak, a lawyer's daughter, was shot dead in front of her home this month.

An assassination attempt on Pukanic failed several months ago.