The 1964 AFIM Kidnappings (also known as the February Abductions) were a coordinated series of terrorist attacks carried out by the Army of Free and Independent Moraviskameja (AFIM) against Kresimirian state officials and members of the Bosken Liberation Front (BLF).
Orchestrated by AFIM founder Jochen Schoff, the operation targeted a federal judge, local police chiefs, and political aides involved in the implementation of the 1961 Treaty of Brod Moravice. The kidnappings were designed to demonstrate that Kresimirian law held no power in District X and to punish the BLF for “collaborating” with the central government.
The crisis resulted in the death of one hostage and significantly heightened tensions between the Kresimirian nationalist parties and the BLF leadership in the Assembly.
The crisis was a major test for the new Chief State Councillor, Vlado Soric. Despite intense pressure from the Assembly’s right-wing to deploy the army, Soric stood firm on a police-led response. While criticized for “weakness” after the death of a hostage, his refusal to escalate the conflict likely saved the fragile peace treaty.
Background
By 1964, the Treaty of Brod Moravice had been in effect for three years. While the major insurgency of BRC-21 had ended, the implementation of the peace deal was fraught with difficulty.
A key point of contention was the Land Restitution Commission, a legal body set up to adjudicate property disputes between returning Bosken exiles and the state. Hardline separatists viewed the Commission as a tool of Kresimirian bureaucracy, while the BLF participated in it to secure legal rights for their constituents.
Jochen Schoff, leading the AFIM splinter group from the mountains, viewed this participation as treason. He planned the kidnappings to disrupt the Commission’s work and terrorize the “collaborator” class.
The Abductions (February 12, 1964)
In the early hours of February 12, AFIM cells struck simultaneously across two cities in District X.
The Targets
- Judge Valerijan Kovac: A senior Kresimirian judge appointed by the Superior Tribunal to oversee the 1962 Land Restitution Commission. He was abducted from his temporary residence in the “New Zone” of Sprodvice.
- The BLF Aides: Three administrative aides—Enver H., Mila T., and Dav B.—were seized while leaving a BLF district office in Brod Moravice. All three had served as junior staff during the 1961 treaty negotiations.
- Police Chiefs: Two local commanders of the Civil Order Force were targeted in coordinated ambushes on their patrol vehicles.
The Failed Abduction
During the attempt to seize the Police Chiefs, Commander Radek Zima (a distant relation of former CIA chief Petar Zima) engaged the kidnappers in a firefight. Zima shot and killed one AFIM operative before escaping on foot. The other commander, Chief Ante Soric, was successfully captured.
Captivity and the Murder of Dav B.
The five hostages were transported to a remote logging camp in the Severni Range foothills. They were held for seven days.
According to later testimony from the survivors, the hostages were subjected to beatings and psychological torture. Schoff reportedly interrogated the BLF aides personally, demanding the names of other “traitors” within the party structure.
On the fourth day of captivity, one of the BLF aides, Dav B. (24), died. AFIM later claimed he died of “heart failure,” but forensic examination of the body (recovered later) indicated death resulted from blunt force trauma and internal bleeding consistent with severe torture.
Release and Message
On February 19, the surviving four hostages (Judge Kovac, Chief Soric, and the two surviving aides) were dumped from a moving van onto the main thoroughfare of Brod Moravice, directly in front of the District Court.
They were bound, blindfolded, and severely beaten. Pinned to Judge Kovac’s chest was a handwritten note signed by Schoff:
“There is no Treaty here. There is no Kresimirian Law here. There is only the land, and the land judges the traitor. This is the only verdict recognized in Moraviskameja.”
Aftermath
Political Fallout
The operation was a major propaganda success for AFIM. It humiliated the Kresimirian security apparatus and successfully terrified the BLF rank-and-file.
- The Assembly: In Sinj, Vjetrusa leader Haret Trn and SoK leader Davor Banit demanded the suspension of the Treaty. They accused the BLF of complicity, arguing that AFIM could not have identified the aides without inside information.
- The BLF Response: BLF leader Nadja Vrasch was placed in an impossible position. She publicly condemned the “criminal murder” of her aide but refused to sanction a new military crackdown in the district, arguing it would only fuel Schoff’s recruitment.
Security Response
The Council for Internal Affairs elevated Jochen Schoff to “Public Enemy Number One,” placing a massive bounty on his head. The Civil Order Force increased its presence in District X, establishing fortified checkpoints around all courthouses and BLF offices, effectively militarizing the restitution process.