TRIAL TO JIHAD WARRIORS SOON

After the Action of Federal Police in Central Bosnia

AIM Sarajevo, 23 December, 1997

By publicly stating facts about terrorist and other criminal acts which took place in the past period on the territory of B&H Federation, the federal prosecutor's office has to a certain extent clarified details about the arrest of persons suspected of having organized or participated in the said acts.

The action of the arrest of the suspects took place mostly on the territory of Zenica-Doboj, Central-Bosnian and Tuzla-Podrinje canton. A large number of persons were identified as direct or indirect participants in preparation and perpetration of these acts.

Criminal charges were raised by the prosecutor's office in charge of crime of this type which increased to considerable proportions in B&H Federation in six cases. According to the statement of the federal prosecutors, the measure of taking into custody was pronounced for 19 persons. Three of them, who seem to be the most important links in this terrorist chain, are still out of reach of the police. Warrant for the arrest was issued for Karray Kalei Bin Ali alias Abu Hamza, Omar Hilal alias Abdela and Ahmed Zuhair alias Handala.

"During these activities, 24 rifles, 10 pistols, 30 hand bombs, four hand grenade launchers, three hand rocket launchers, three machine-guns, 15 grenades, five hand grenades, 95 antitank mines (PT-6, PT-1, PT-3 and PT-4), one container with a rocket for rocket launcher, more than seven thousand pieces of ammunition of various calibres, 100 metres of slow-burning fuse with initial caps and much more was confiscated", it is stated in the statement of the federal prosecutor's office.

The person who could readily be characterised as "state enemy number 1" and the leader of the terrorist organization in central Bosnia is certain Ahmed Zuhair with a cover name Handala.

His first appearance in dossiers of the local, but also foreign intelligence services is linked to the report submitted to the special police of the Croat Defence Council (HVO) when time of passage of the command of the El Mujahidin unit through Zepce was revealed. Thanks to this information which is assumed to have originated from Handala, the so-called Stoja's lads set an ambush near Zepce on 14 December 1995, and killed five foreign mercenaries. The official command of the Army of B&H has never reacted to this crime.

Due to such merits, it is assumed, Zuhair was released from prison in the so-called Herzeg-Bosnia where he should have served a long sentence. He was arrested on 22 January 1996, and on 27 May 1997 he was granted amnesty by the current president of the Federation B&H Vladimir Soljic himself. Handal shares his family name with certain Sacir from Jezergrad in Turkey.

Handal has participated in the robbery of the Autotech store in Zenica when night watchman Mirko Pajic was killed. The spectacularly arrested three - Zeferin, Bugelan and Dimon

• were supplied with the necessary armament in this robbery. Handal is also suspected to have concealed the mentioned three during police search.

During arrest, a large quantity of forged documents was found of a number of government and non-governmental humanitarian organizations, various stamps and equipment necessary for making them. A large quantity of documents bearing various names were also discovered, and it is interesting that among numerous discovered licence plates there were some with diplomatic insignia. That is when handbooks for training and performance of terrorist acts were also confiscated, as well as vehicles of various models used by these persons in preparation and in performance of various criminal acts and terrorist actions.

According to the statement of the prosecutor's office, "due to founded suspicion that in October this year they planned and prepared criminal acts of robbery of the guardian of the fransican monastery in Guca Gora, criminal charges were raised against Samir Pracalic, Edib Helvid, Lahmar Saber and Alil Ahmed Ali Hamad".

"Based on the taken operational and technical measures and actions of the police it was established that there is founded suspicion that Karray Kamel Bin Ali alias Abu Hamza, Ahmed Zuhair alias Handala, Omar Halil alias Abdela, Ali Said Baawra alias Hudeifa, Kaleb El Seif alias Sulejman, Nihad Kokic, Samir Pracalic, Rasid Al Sudeiti, Evel Manjusak and Edin Mrkonja prepared and planned to commit criminal acts on the territory of B&H Federation for which they were sentenced to jail", it is said further in the text of the statement.

In this action, allegedly in Zavidovici, the police also arrested Vlada Populovski. Before the war Populovski worked in Krivaja enterprise in Zavidovici, and during the war he became known for being an exceptionally good armourer, capable of repairing any kind of weapon. He is also believed to be capable of making different kinds of explosive devices.

The officials hope that this arrest should finally clarify some terrorist acts in Zavidovici in which explosive devices were used. Certain sources claim that Populovski was connected with the so-called Mujahedin circles in Bocinja mostly populated by foreign citizens, mostly Arabs, or as they call them in Bosnia - jihad warriors. There is a considerable number of Bosniacs who had joined them accepting their way of life. Nevertheless, this is not a good enough reason to automatically proclaim them terrorists which is often done.

The federal prosecutor's office is working on clarification of the murder of William Jefferson, American citizen, which took place in the night between 18 and 19 November, 1995 in Tuzla. Based on gathered data, the Federal prosecutor's office notes Ahmed Faiz Al Shemberi and the already mentioned Ahmed Zuhair alias Handala as the possible perpetrators.

During investigation, the federal prosecutor managed to clarify the case of planting explosive devices in the interior of the Cathiolic church of Ressurection in the village of Puticevo, Travnik municipality. Criminal charges were raised against perpetrators of this act: Omar Halil alias Abdel, Kramti Said alias Haris, Samir Pracalic, Edin Mrkonja, Evel Manjusak, Mihad Kurtic alis Abu Jafer, and Nihad Kokic alias Jendel. They are charged for terrorism.

All the available data the federal officials got hold of indicate that they were an organized group, well-qualified, interconnected, conspirative in its operation, which prepared and carried out its activities according to plan, and it did not lack helpers either.

"Before carrying out their terrorist acts, the suspects observed the targets of their attacks for days, which indicates that they are an organized group which prepared and committed classic terrorist acts on the territory of B&H. Further clarification of other serious criminal acts on the territory of Zenica-Doboj, Central-Bosnian and Tuzla-Podrinje cantons is under way".

Eldin KARIC

(AIM, Sarajevo)