BOSNIAN SUPREME COURT RELEASES TERRORIST SUSPECTS

SARAJEVO, Jan 17 (Hina) - The Supreme Court of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina on Thursday evening ordered that six naturalised Bosnian citizens of Algerian origin, suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, be released. The Federation's television said the ruling on the release of the six Algerians was signed by Judge Zdenko Eterovic and was effective immediately. The Algerians spent three months in court detention because they were suspected of having planned an attack on the U.S. and British embassies in Sarajevo in retaliation for U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. The principal suspect, Bensay Belkacem, was claimed to have been linked to one of Osama bin Laden's closest associates, the alleged evidence being a recording of Belkacem's phone conversation with a senior Al-Qa'ida member. The investigation did not yield any concrete results or provide strong evidence of the suspects' guilt so the investigating judge had no alternative but to sign the release ruling. The six Algerians, however, are not free and are still detained at the central prison in Sarajevo. Belkacem's defence attorney Nermina Pivic told reporters she assumed the Federation's authorities were preparing the extradition of the six Algerians. According to her, they should be transferred from Sarajevo to the U.S. military base in Guantanamo, Cuba. The U.S. Army is transferring the most dangerous Taliban to the base in Cuba where they are being submitted to a thorough interrogation. (hina) it