AL GAMA ISLAMIA MEMBERS ACTIVE IN BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, Feb 23 (Hina) - Nine Egyptians who have acquired Bosnian citizenship under mysterious circumstances are members of the terrorist group Al Gama Islamia, but the police failed to find them, the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina Deputy Interior Minister Tomislav Limov said on Saturday. In Saturday's interview to Banja Luka daily "Nezavisne novine", Limov said Egyptian authorities forwarded the information to Bosnian police services and demanded the extradition of nine men. Limov recalled two persons who resided in Bosnia were handed over to Egyptian authorities last year. In an investigation, their testimonies confirmed the existence of a part of network of the terrorist group Al Gama Islamia in Bosnia. Egyptian authorities requested the extradition of nine Egyptians confirmed to be a part of the said network. In November 2001, Limov confirmed the police in Bosnia were after two groups of terrorists - the eight-member "Algerian" group, and the nine-member "Egyptian" group. The police investigation, however, yielded results only in case of the Algerian group whose members were handed over to the US government earlier this month. Nine Egyptians had not been found and are assumed to have escaped from Bosnia. Asked how could such persons be issued with Bosnian documents in the first place, Limov said this was obviously a political project aimed at changing the picture of Bosnia and legacy of its thousand years long tradition, and added an investigation needs to be carried out. (hina) np