[Nettime-bold] Bosnians arrest terror suspects

["Ivo Skoric" <ivo@reporters.net>]

The men with the box-cutters seem to be persistent. Are they 
under some sort of hypnosis? But in Bosnia nowadays you don't 
even have to be at the airport to be arrested if you carry the box-
cutter.
ivo

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) - Several people suspected of links to
global terrorism were arrested over the past few days, including two who were
found with box cutters near Sarajevo's airport, Bosnian authorities said
Monday.

The arrests were made by Bosnian police and by SFOR, the NATO-led
peacekeeping force deployed in Bosnia following the 1992-95 war.

SFOR troops arrested four people on Sept. 25 and 26 in the Sarajevo suburb of
Ilidza, SFOR spokesman Capt. Daryl Morrell said Monday. He did not release
further details, but Bosnian television said Sunday night that two of the
four were foreign citizens and the others were Bosnians.

Bosnian television identified the two Bosnian suspects as Nihad Karcic and
Armin Harbaus and said they were employed by the Saudi humanitarian
organization Makath. According to the report, SFOR also seized documents,
computers and $60,000 in cash from the organization.

SFOR said in a statement later Monday that no illegal weapons or ammunition
were found.

Bosnian police made several separate arrests last week, Federation Interior
Minister Muhamed Besic said Monday.

Some of those arrested were later released, but others remained in detention
as suspects ``who could be involved in terrorism,'' Besic said. He refused to
elaborate.

A high-ranking Bosnian government official told The Associated Press on
condition of anonymity that two of the people arrested in the last few days
were foreign citizens from Islamic countries. They were apparently found
close to the Sarajevo airport with box cutters similar to the ones used by
the Sept. 11 hijackers in the United States.

``We are working together with SFOR and other international organizations and
the operation is ongoing,'' Besic said.

The Interior Ministry also asked five Pakistani citizens in Bosnia on tourist
visas to leave the country, Besic said. They left Sarajevo on Sunday.

Thousands of Islamic fighters arrived in Bosnia at the beginning of its war
to help Bosnian Muslims fight Serbs and Croats. Most of them left after the
war when NATO troops deployed, but a small number stayed behind and settled
here, obtaining Bosnian citizenship.

Those who remained are now under tighter monitoring by the Bosnian police.

Last week, the interior minister of the Muslim-Croat federation, Muhamed
Besic, said that ``trustworthy intelligence sources'' suggested about 70
associates of Osama bin Laden, the main suspect for the Sept. 11 attacks,
could flee Afghanistan for refuge in Bosnia.



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