Ljubomir Magaš
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Ljubomir Magaš ( sr-cyr, Љубомир Магаш; 27 May 1948 – 10 November 1986) was a Serbian amateur
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...
,
streetfighter A streetfighter, muscle bike, or super naked is a motorcycle of high displacement and horsepower. It is typically a super bike with the fairings and windscreen removed. Beyond simply removing fairings, specific changes that exemplify the stree ...
and
gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...
. He was commonly known by his nickname Ljuba Zemunac ( sr-cyr, Љуба Земунац, lit=Ljuba from
Zemun Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; hu, Zimony) is a municipality in the city of Belgrade. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown Belgrade. The developme ...
). A three-time convicted
rapist Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, Abusive power and control, ...
in Yugoslavia, Magaš rose to become a Yugoslav mafia crime boss and one of the most influential figures in the
Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
underworld during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1986 he was murdered by rival gangster Goran Vuković.


Early life

Born to a Croatian father, Šime Magaš, from Nin and a Serbian mother, Rosa Ćurčić, Ljubomir spent his early youth in Zemun. When the youngster was six, his father abandoned the family. Young Ljubomir stayed out of trouble for the most part while living in Zemun. When he was eight, his mother moved the family to Belgrade, the
Zvezdara Zvezdara ( sr-cyr, Звездара, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. The municipality is geographically hilly and with many forests. According to the 2011 census results, the municipality has a population of 148,014 inhabitants. The ...
neighbourhood where he attended Ćirilo i Metodije primary school. During his early teens, Magaš took up
boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
at Radnički boxing club and became involved in
streetfighting Street fighting is hand-to-hand combat in public places, between individuals or groups of people. The venue is usually a public place (e.g. a street) and the fight sometimes results in serious injury or occasionally even death. Some street fi ...
. His nickname "Ljuba Zemunac" ("Ljuba from Zemun") came from his original neighborhood. After finishing primary school he enrolled in a trade school for
auto repair An auto mechanic (automotive technician in most of North America, light vehicle technician in British English, and motor mechanic in Australian English) is a mechanic who services and repairs automobiles, sometimes specializing in one or more ...
, but never finished it. For a short time he worked at the IMT agricultural machinery factory in
Dobanovci Dobanovci ( sr-Cyrl, Добановци) is a suburban neighborhood of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Surčin. Dobanovci is located in the eastern Syrmia region, 25 km west of downtown Belgrade, between the Bel ...
. In addition to street fights, he started making threats and vandalism. The police become aware of him for the first time in 1964 due to a purse snatching incident.


Criminal career


1960s: Early days in Belgrade

For a 1965 robbery, seventeen-year-old Magaš was sentenced by the Belgrade district court and referred to an institution for juvenile offenders. A year later he repeated the offense and got sentenced again, this time by the district court in the Serbian city of
Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...
. Violent by nature, Magaš continued brawling in public. One such fight broke out in 1967 at University of Belgrade's Faculty of Technology when Magaš beat up Vladimir Vučković, a student at the faculty. Afraid of yet another arrest and sentencing, Magaš escaped abroad for the first time—briefly crossing into
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. He developed and fostered a reputation as a physically tough, vicious, aggressive, controlling, and vindictive criminal. Many other criminals feared him and sought his company and approval, but even that was no guarantee of protection as he often turned on those close to him. In fall 1967, together with Rade "Ćenta" Ćaldović and Zoran "Robija" Milosavljević, nineteen-year-old Magaš was arrested on a rape charge. Ćenta and Robija got off due to lack of evidence, while Magaš was sentenced for rape to 2 years and 8 months in
Sremska Mitrovica Sremska Mitrovica (; sr-Cyrl, Сремска Митровица, hu, Szávaszentdemeter, la, Sirmium) is a city and the administrative center of the Srem District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the left bank ...
penitentiary. During his prison stays he established himself as a leader, regularly harassing, abusing and humiliating other inmates. One anecdote had Magaš forcing his fellow inmates to chew over dry and hardened bread so that he could make chess figures out of it. In his youth, he held pro- Yugoslav political leanings.


1970s: Italy and West Germany

Magaš resumed his criminal activity upon his release in summer 1970. In March 1971 he escaped to Italy with an associate, Danilo "Đani" Novaković, in order to avoid arrest over a car theft. Magaš's friend Ćenta soon joined him. Magaš settled in
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, the gathering spot for Yugoslav fugitives at the time. His viciousness during armed robberies got him the attention of the
Italian police Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
, who exiled him to
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
. In West Germany, Magaš was not well-known. However, his physical strength, bear-like appearance,
psychotic Psychosis is a condition of the mind that results in difficulties determining what is real and what is not real. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations, among other features. Additional symptoms are incoherent speech and behavior ...
energy and thuggish ways quickly distinguished him. He settled in
Offenbach am Main Offenbach am Main () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Hesse, Germany, on the left bank of the river Main (river), Main. It borders Frankfurt and is part of the Frankfurt urban area and the larger Frankfurt Rhein-Main Regional Aut ...
, essentially a suburb of
Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
, where the Yugoslav mafia operated out of a cafe called Žurnal. They further frequented hospitality establishments in nearby Frankfurt such as Jukebox Jumbo Jet cafe. At first, Magaš worked as
bouncer A bouncer (also known as a doorman or door supervisor) is a type of security guard, employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs, cabaret clubs, stripclubs, casinos, hotels, billiard halls, restaurants, sporting events, schools, concerts, or m ...
, however, using the alias Tomislav Spadijer, he assembled a group of criminals specializing in
armed robberies Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...
and
racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. Originally and of ...
. This marked the beginning of his criminal heyday — through fear and intimidation he led a group of associates that enabled him to secure a steady income stream. He trafficked young girls from Belgrade and other parts of Serbia to Germany, forcing them into
prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...
. In June 1974, Magaš was arrested for extortion, threats, and physical assault against a man who refused to pay the racket. Around this time Magaš was wanted in Yugoslavia for another rape. In September 1974 Yugoslavia sought his
extradition Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdict ...
from West Germany. German authorities refused the request in December. Yugoslavia submitted another request, while Magaš was arrested in Frankfurt again in May 1975 for using falsified identification documents, robbery and driving without a license. In September 1975, his extradition to Yugoslavia was approved. Magaš was sentenced to 4 and a half years. In fall 1978, Magaš committed yet another rape and fled to Frankfurt where he lived as Giovanni Angelis. On 27 October 1978, Magaš was suspected of taking part in the murder of Veljko Krivokapić aka Velja Crnogorac. Apparently, Crnogorac had a row with Ćenta over gambling debts, which Ćenta settled by killing Velja with the help of Magaš and Jusuf "Jusa" Bulić. While Magaš operated in Frankfurt, Ćenta did the same in
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
. Other established Yugoslavia criminals such as
Đorđe Božović Đorđe "Giška" Božović ( sr, Ђорђе Гишка Божовић; 16 September 1955 – 15 September 1991) was a Serbian criminal, gangster and paramilitary commander during the Yugoslav Wars. Biography Early life Božović was born Đorđe ...
aka Giška,
Željko Ražnatović Željko Ražnatović (, ; 17 April 1952 – 15 January 2000), better known as Arkan (), was a Serbian mobster, politician, sports administrator, paramilitary commander and head of the Serb paramilitary force called the Serb Volunteer Guard du ...
aka Arkan and Danilo Novaković aka Đani kept in touch with Magaš, especially when crimes were afoot. According to journalist sources, in the 1970s, Magaš started working with Yugoslav State Security (
UDBA The State Security Service ( hr, Služba državne sigurnosti, sr, Служба државне безбедности; mk, Служба за државна безбедност; sl, Služba državne varnosti), also known by its original name ...
).


1980s

In January 1980, an international arrest warrant got issued in connection to the 1978 Budva rape charge. Acting upon the international warrant, West German authorities arrested Magaš, extraditing him to Yugoslavia on 20 February 1981. After standing trial before the Titograd district court, he got sentenced to 5 years. On appeal, the case went to the Yugoslav Supreme Court, which ordered a re-trial. In October 1982 having already served 20 months, Magaš was granted bail. He ended up returning to West Germany and crime. In 1983, Magaš was among some twenty individuals that got arrested on extortion, blackmail and armed robbery charges, part of a sweeping action by the West German police. The police case against Magaš proved weak; instead of putting him away, it only managed to embolden rival Yugoslav gangsters within Frankfurt's underworld seeking to challenge Magaš's rule over the city. One candidate was twenty-something hustler and thug Goran Vuković. He began committing crimes independently such as robbing a jewellery shop without Magaš's permission. Magaš found out and in January 1985 Magaš and his associates Slobodan "Cane" Savić and Vlada Bačar attempted to kill Vuković and his friend Boris Petkov. Vuković was wounded by Savić. German police arrested Magaš, but he was acquitted due to lack of evidence. Magaš used his influence around Yugoslav emigre circles to obtain favourable witness testimonies and reportedly even got football coach
Fahrudin Jusufi Fahrudin Jusufi ( sr-Cyrl, Фахрудин Јусуфи, ; 8 December 1939 – 9 August 2019) was a Yugoslav footballer who most notably played for Partizan, Eintracht Frankfurt and the Yugoslav national team. Playing career Club career Jusufi ...
to provide an alibi for his whereabouts on the night of the shooting.Ljuba Zemunac - maneken smrti
/ref> On 10 November 1986, just before 10:30am, Magaš, Vuković and their respective entourages encountered one another in front of the . Vuković pulled out a gun and shot Magaš twice in the chest. The German police arrested Vuković. Magaš succumbed to his injuries hours later.


See also

*
Kristijan Golubović Aleksandar "Kristijan" Golubović ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Кристијан Голубовић; born November 30, 1969) is a Serbian established painter, MMA fighter, singer, media personality and former criminal. After spending four a ...
, mobster and godson


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magas, Ljubomir 1948 births 1986 deaths 20th-century Serbian people Criminals from Hesse People from Zemun Gangsters from Belgrade 1986 murders in Europe Murdered Serbian gangsters People murdered in Germany Serbian bank robbers Serbian people murdered abroad Serbian people of Croatian descent Sportspeople from Belgrade Yugoslav criminals