The 31-year-old Nicholas Ribic, a former member of the Bosnian Serb army, took part in the kidnapping of two UN unarmed military observers, whom Bosnian Serb forces held hostage to stop the NATO bombardment of their positions. He also conveyed threats that the hostages would be killed if the bombardment did not stop.
In May 1995 NATO started attacking Bosnian Serb positions, including those around Pale outside Sarajevo, after which Serb forces kidnapped the UN observers and held them hostage.
The jury acquitted Ribic of charges of hostage-taking, but found him guilty of hostage-holding.