Croatian war crimes suspect Ante Gotovina arrived at Madrid’s high court today ahead of his extradition to the UN war crimes tribunal, Spain’s Interior Ministry said.

Judge Felix Degayon was due to read charges against the retired Croatian army general prior to his extradition to the tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands.

Gotovina, 50, was arrested yesterday by special police at a hotel in the Canary Islands.

Gotovina was indicted in mid-2001 by the UN war crimes tribunal for the killing of at least 150 Serbs by troops under his command and for the expulsion of about 150,000 others during Croatia’s 1991-1995 war.

He is expected be held in Madrid overnight and sent to The Hague tomorrow.