PROBE INTO BOMB ATTACK AGAINST ST JOSEPH CHURCH UNDER WAY

SARAJEVO, March 4 (Hina) - A spokesman for the Bosnian Federation Interior Ministry, Suad Arnautovic, on Tuesday said that additional measures for security of the Roman Catholic church of St Joseph had been taken after the last night's bomb attack against that church in Sarajevo. "Immediately after the attack special security measures were ordered to be taken," Arnautovic said at a news conference, but he declined to say precisely what police would actually do. He said that s special team led by a Sarajevo higher court's judge, had carried out on-the-spot investigation. It was established that an explosive device had completely destroyed the sacristy door at the back of the church and damaged about ten cars parked in the vicinity, whereas glasses at the church and the parish office as well as of nearby buildings had been broken in the detonation. There were no injuries. Asked what kind the explosive device had been Arnautovic said that this fact could not be revealed in the interest of the probe. However, according to unofficial sources, the detonation was caused by a makeshift explosive device with great destructive power. The Interior Ministry spokesman said today that frequent attacks against facilities of the Catholic church were regarded as direct attacks against the (Croat-Moslem) Federation and he described them as " one form of special war against Bosnia-Herzegovina" as well as an attempt to stir up fear among Sarajevans. Perpetrators of such attacks were "open enemies of Bosnia-Herzegovina, whose aim is to provoke unrest and overall insecurity ahead of Pope's arrival in Sarajevo as well as to show that the joint life be impossible," Arnautovic said. Asked how much the probe into previous attacks against priests and buildings of the Catholic Church had progress and how much responsible were officers of the police station that is in the immediate vicinity of the St Joseph Church, the spokesman said that no more details could be now revealed in the interest of the investigation. The parish priest of St Joseph parish, Rev. Luka Brkovic, said to Hina that the last night's attack had been totally unexpected. "There were neither threats nor telephone calls before that. This has much affected the faithful and they are very sad… Only the attackers or those who sent them know the real reason for the attack. I maintain that we should await 13 April and see what is the aim of such attack," Rev. Brkovic said. On Tuesday, Bosnian Federation senior Croat officials, including President Kresimir Zubak, and Croatia's Ambassador to Bosnia, Darinko Bago visited the parish office. (hina) jn mš 041612 MET mar 97