Terrorists recruiting 'white Muslims': 'By their appearance, they are less obvious'

Reports: Terrorists recruiting 'white Muslims': 'By their appearance, they are less obvious'; [Final Edition]
William J. Kole. Chicago Sun - Times. Chicago, Ill.: Apr 18, 2006. pg. 38

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- His code name was Maximus, and he held secret meetings in a shabby room at the Banana City Hotel on the outskirts of Sarajevo.

Bosnian police put him under surveillance, and in a raid last fall on his apartment, authorities seized explosives, a suicide bomber belt and a videotape of men begging Allah's forgiveness for what they were about to do.

What they planned, investigators believe, was to blow up a European embassy. But compounding their concern, they say, was the ringleader's background: Maximus was Mirsad Bektasevic, a 19-year- old Swedish citizen of Serbian origin with ties to a senior al- Qaida operative.

'EXTREMELY CAREFUL AND SERIOUS'

Terrorists have been working to recruit non-Arab sympathizers -- so-called white Muslims with Western features who could more easily blend into European cities and execute attacks -- according to classified intelligence documents.

A 252-page confidential report compiled by Croatian and U.S. intelligence on potentially dangerous Islamic groups in Bosnia suggests the recruitment drive may have begun as long as four years ago, when Arab militants ran up against post-9/11 security obstacles.

"They judge that it is high time that their job on this territory should be taken over by new local forces . . . people who are born here and live here have an advantage which would make their job easier. By their appearance, they are less obvious," the report reads.

Arabs, it adds, "have become too obvious, which has made their job difficult."

Bosnia's minister of security, Barisa Colak, acknowledged the existence of the intelligence report but said authorities had no concrete evidence that recruitment is widespread. There are no known cases of a Balkan "white Muslim" recruit being involved in an actual attack.

"Even so, we have to be extremely careful and serious and not miss anything," he said.

Citizens of the former Yugoslavia still need visas to travel to Western Europe or the United States -- a complicated and long process.