A panel of Sofia City Court released Serbian war crimes suspect Cedomir Brankovic, who was arrested late on Tuesday in the Bulgarian capital.

The general, who is wanted by the Interpol for crimes against humanity and has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by Croatia, entered Bulgaria as part of a Serb military delegation.

A few hours after the court announced its decision the Croatian Interpol bureau sent a letter to the Bulgarian authorities demanding his arrest.

The court ruled that Brankovic's detention was illegal as he enjoys diplomatic immunity.

The magistrates underlined that Brankovic is a member of an official delegation and his name featured on a list, approved by the Bulgarian state.

According to the head of the court session Brankovic had to be warned in advance that he is "persona non grata" here.

The ruling of Sofia City Court may be appealed in the next three days.

Brankovic served as the commander of a former Yugoslav army battalion, which attacked several villages in 1991 war when Croatia seceded. They used to mine and shoot at Catholic churches, factories and homes, which led to the death of 13 civilians.

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