Guilty of Terrorism in Bosnia

The Bosnia-Herzegovina Court for the first time passed a sentence for terrorism.

The Court of Bosnia Herzegovina yesterday sentenced Mirsad Bektasevic, Abdulkadir Cesur and Bajro Ikanovic to 15 years, 13 years and four months and eight years in prison, respectively, for acts of terrorism.

According to the indictment, the three Bosnian citizens planned to carry out a terrorist attack on the embassies of Western countries in BH and other European countries, with the aim of twisting the arm of international troops to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ikanovic mediated in the purchase of explosives, 20 kilograms of which had been found in a police action in October 2005, including explosive belts. Also found were video tapes with suicide messages from the terrorists.

Mirsad Bektasevic is a Swedish citizen and Abdulkadir Cesur a Turk national from Denmark. They arrived in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2005. Bektasevic’s computer located in a Sarajevo apartment, contained documents in Arabic, which indicated the establishment of an Al-Qaeda cell for Eastern Europe. Cesur’s computer contained footage celebrating terrorist leaders, Jihad and the attackers on the WTC in New York.

In passing out sentences, the court took into consideration the youth of the accused as a mitigating circumstance.