Key Aspects:
- A cruise ship crew member was arrested in Civitavecchia following a routine check on background documents.
- The crew member is accused of war crimes from the early 1990s, including violence, deportations, and killings.
- Routine background checks of guests and crew members are standard procedure as part of border protection.
When guests set sail, they expect the crew members on a cruise ship to be highly qualified experts in their respective fields, able to offer exceptional service and fulfill their duties responsibly.
Guests would be shocked, then, to learn that an onboard security guard has been accused as an international war criminal who may have participated in ethnic cleansing operations decades earlier.
The 58-year-old man was arrested by the Civitavecchia border police following investigations of paramilitary organizations that performed ethnic cleansing during the Serbo-Croatian War in the early 1990s. The international arrest warrant that was issued earlier in 2026 identified this individual as having committed violent acts, deportations, and killings during the conflict.
According to a statement from the Rome police, at the time of his arrest, the man was “carrying out security duties” onboard a cruise ship, and “trying to evade searches by Croatian authorities.”
The man does hold dual Serbian-Croatian citizenship and was a member of the Sao Kraijina militias that operated in Serbia during the conflict, at which time the region was part of Yugoslavia. No further details of his identity have been released.
While the arrest took place at the port of Civitavecchia near Rome, the exact date of the arrest was not disclosed. Similarly, the cruise line or individual ship was also not identified.
Read Also: Do Cruise Ships Have Jails? Here’s the Truth
Different cruise ships from TUI Cruises, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises, MSC Cruises, P&O Cruises, AIDA Cruises, and several smaller lines have all been in Civitavecchia just this week.
Following his arrest, the man was incarcerated in Aurelia prison, near the cruise port. He was later transferred to another undisclosed prison facility and is currently awaiting judicial authorization for his extradition to Croatia to face formal charges.
Background Checks Catch Both Crew Members and Guest Criminals
This unusual arrest is not the first time background checks of crew members and even of guests have resulted in arrests onboard cruise ships or at cruise ports.
Every nation’s customs and border patrol organization has the authority to review the records of anyone who may enter or leave the country, even on such a temporary occasion as a cruise ship visit.
Cruise Hive has previously reported on various arrests resulting from such background checks. For example, in January 2026, a crew member onboard Disney Adventure was arrested for robbery in Bremerhaven, Germany, before the new ship departed to head for her homeport in Singapore.
Crew members have also been arrested from different ships and different cruise lines for crimes committed onboard, including placing hidden cameras in restrooms or staterooms, theft, and violent assaults.
Guests are not protected against such arrests, either. Regular reviews of guests coming and going on cruise ships has led to arrests related to robberies, missing child support, identity theft, credit card fraud, embezzlement, and other charges.
Reckless behavior onboard can also get guests arrested, such as jumping off the ship, throwing furniture overboard, or engaging in other prohibited and unsafe behaviors.
While border patrol agents are not actively seeking individuals from cruise ships, the background screenings for both guests and crew members is a routine procedure. When discrepancies or active warrants are found, the agents will act appropriately to detain the individual and follow the due process of law.
