Newspaper reports terrorist suspects appear before Bosnian court
BBC Monitoring Europe (Political) -  July 21, 2006 Friday

Text of report by A. Djozo entitled: "Bajric signs new agreement with prosecutor", published Bosnian Serb newspaper Nezavisne novine on 20 July

Sarajevo: The trial of Swedish citizen Mirsad Bektasevic (19 years old), Turkish citizen Abdulkadir Cesur (21 years old), and B-H citizen Bajro Ikanovic (30 years old), on terrorism charges begins today in a B-H court.

Apart from these, Amir Bajric and Senad Hasanovic (19 years old) from Hadzici have been charged with the illegal possession of weapons or explosive devices. Bektasevic and Cesur have also been charged with preventing officers from doing their work.

At the status conference at the end of June, Bajric's lawyer Muhidin Kapo said that his client had pleaded guilty and signed an agreement with state prosecutor Ahmed Halebic. However, the court rejected the agreement in which Bajric agreed to serve eight months. Kapo confirmed yesterday that his client and prosecutor Halebic had concluded a new agreement that would be signed today.

"We will go to the prosecutor to sign an agreement an hour before the trial begins. An 18-month sentence has been agreed and the agreement is to be submitted to the Council today," Kapo said.

The indictment by the B-H Prosecutor's Office charges Bektasevic and Cesur with planning a terrorist attack with the aim of forcing the B-H authorities and states whose military forces and representatives are present in B-H to withdraw their forces from Iraq and Afghanistan. Ikanovic is charged with procuring 20 kilograms of explosives for the planned attack, the location of which has not yet been identified by the B-H prosecution.

Bektasevic, Cesur, and Ikanovic have been in custody since the end of 2005, when they were arrested in Sarajevo. Hasanovic and Bajric are on bail.

Source: Nezavisne novine, Banja Luka, in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian 20 Jul 06 p 9

Copyright 2006 British Broadcasting Corporation
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