AI-generated death threats sent to Dubrovnik mayor by criminal clans
Croatian police reportedly suspect members of the Kavač and Škaljarski clans sent AI-generated death threats to Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković in July 2026 via WhatsApp. The threats were reportedly connected to Franković's proposed restrictions to the city's urban development plan that would affect construction projects in which both criminal organizations had invested.
What happened
Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković received approximately twenty death threat messages composed with the aid of artificial intelligence, sent overnight via WhatsApp from multiple phone numbers registered in Algeria.
Police reportedly intercepted plans to frame Franković as a perpetrator of domestic violence, and some Zagreb law offices were under suspicion in connection with the threats.
Reported impact
Franković was provided police protection in response to the threats.
The case was described as exceeding local scope and representing a potential threat to national security, drawing the attention of the chief state prosecutor and interior minister.
Index analysis
The Kavač and Škaljarski clans are described as rival Montenegrin organized crime groups formerly unified until 2014, involved in cocaine trafficking, money laundering, arms smuggling, extortion, corruption and contract killings.
Both clans had invested in construction projects in Dubrovnik, which Franković's proposed restrictive changes to the city's urban development plan would have affected.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.