WASHINGTON, Jan 18 (Hina) - Quoting statements by the Stabilisation Force (SFOR) commander in Bosnia-Herzegovina, General John Sylvester, the US media on Friday reported about the arrest and transfer of six persons suspected of
planning terrorist attacks on the US embassy in Sarajevo. Five Algerians, who had Bosnian citizenship, and one Yemeni were arrested last October on the basis of information the authorities in Sarajevo received from the US intelligence. However, it has been claimed the CIA did not want to hand over evidence against the suspects. Sylvester said handing over intelligence information as court evidence was always uncertain. As no evidence against the suspects had been submitted, the Sarajevo court in charge of the case on Friday ruled that the suspects should be released. The US media report that the Bosnian government informed the US authorities the suspects would be released at exactly 05
WASHINGTON, Jan 18 (Hina) - Quoting statements by the Stabilisation
Force (SFOR) commander in Bosnia-Herzegovina, General John
Sylvester, the US media on Friday reported about the arrest and
transfer of six persons suspected of planning terrorist attacks on
the US embassy in Sarajevo.
Five Algerians, who had Bosnian citizenship, and one Yemeni were
arrested last October on the basis of information the authorities
in Sarajevo received from the US intelligence. However, it has been
claimed the CIA did not want to hand over evidence against the
suspects.
Sylvester said handing over intelligence information as court
evidence was always uncertain. As no evidence against the suspects
had been submitted, the Sarajevo court in charge of the case on
Friday ruled that the suspects should be released.
The US media report that the Bosnian government informed the US
authorities the suspects would be released at exactly 05:30 local
time. Around 300 people, the suspects' relatives and friends,
reportedly on Thursday evening gathered in front of the prison
where the suspects were held in custody, but this did not prevent US
SFOR troops to arrest the suspects in a sweeping operation and
transfer them to the US military base in Ramstein, Germany. The
reports did not mention any incidents but it was said the US troops
acted independent of the SFOR command.
It is expected that suspects would be taken to the Guantanamo
military base on Cuba, where some 110 Al'Qaida members and Taleban
have already been transferred.
US officials claim that one of the suspects, Bensay Belkasem, a.k.a
Mejd, had regular contacts with Al'Qaida leaders and that his phone
conversations with Afghanistan were tapped after September 11.
Since September 11, around 20 people suspected of being associated
with terrorist organisations have been arrested in Bosnia-
Herzegovina. Some of them were handed over to their countries of
origin, such as Egypt and Jordan.
Human rights associations have protested against this, claiming
those extradited would be subjected to torture and inhumane
treatment.
(hina) rml