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January 11, 2007

Bosnia: Four Islamists Jailed For Terrorist Plot

The trial in Sarajevo, Bosnia, of four Muslims came to an end yesterday, states AKI, with the four defendants all found guilty, and subjected to jail terms.

The convicted men included two with foreign passports - a 20-year old Swede of Bosnian parentage named Mirsad Bektasevic (pictured), and Cesur Abdulkadir, a Turkish man who has a Daniish passport. The pair had arrived in Bosnia three weeks before their arrest on October 23, 2005.

When the pair were arrested, they were living in Ilidza, a suburb of Sarajevo. Their arrest had come after a surveillance operation which had also involved 10 people when it began. The arrest had uncovered not only the videotape, but also suicide vests, about 30 kilograms, or 65 pounds, of high explosive, as well as exploding bullets and a machine pistol.

Mirsad Bektasevic, the Swede, had relatives in Bosnia. He had grown up on the west coast of Sweden. His mother, Nafija Hamedovic, claimed that Mirsad had left school about a year and a half before his arrest, and had begun to attend a mosque in Gothenburg, not far from their home.

It was at this mosque, she claimed in November 2005, that her son became influenced by three men - a Palestinian from Syria, a Kurd and a Somali. She said: "He was not religious before, but in the past two years he practiced more seriously."

"Some people frightened him and talked to him about hell, and told him he would be tortured in hell if he does not pray and does not believe."

Bektasevic and Abdulkadir have been in custody in Sarajevo since their arrest last October. On September 23, 2006, the trial resumed after a hiatus. On that date, a video was presented before the court, in which two masked men were shown threatening to carry out terror attacks in Europe. In addition, a collection of weapons, including hand grenades and what seemed to be explosives, were displayed in the footage. The individuals on the video stated that the arsenal was to be used against European countries which had soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that they were all ready to commit the attack.

Monika Jagerman, from the Swedish Embassy in Bosnia-Hercegovina, has said that Bektasevic had admitted that he had made the video on a camera he had borrowed from his Bosnian aunt. The video was recovered from the apartment that he shared with Abdulkadir.

Yesterday, according to local media in Bosnia, Mirza Jusufovic, the judge, said that Bektasevic, Abdulkadir and two others were planning terrorist acts in Bosnia and also in several other European countries.

19-year old Bektasevic was given a jail sentence of 15 years and four months, while Abdulkadir Cesur received a 13-year sentence. Additionally, two Bosnian nationals who had assisted them in their attempts to gather explosives and weaponry, were also sentenced. These were 30-uear old Bajro Ikanovic, who received a jail sentence of eight years, and Senad Hasanovic received a two and a half year sentence.

As they were handed down their sentences, all four shouted "Allahu Ackbar" in the courtroom.

The plot in which the men were involved also included people living in Britain and Denmark.

Mirsad Bektasevic, in his codename of Maximus was linked with three men who were arrested in Britain. Waseem Mughal from Kent, Younis Tsouli from West London, and Tariq al-Daour, were charged on November 4 2005, with conspiracy and terror charges in the UK. The British terror suspects are assumed to have been hatching a plot to attack the White House in Washington DC, US.

The British suspects were arrested on October 21 to 22. Mughal faces 8 charges. He is accused of having a recipe for making rocket propellants and also possessing a DVD of jihadist "martyrdom operations." Tsouli faces 8 charges. He is accused of having a video presentation on his computer showing how to make a car bomb, and also is said to have had a picture presentation of various locations in Washington DC. All three are accused of credit card fraud, and al-Daour is accused of receiving money and assets knowing that they may be used in terrorism.

Following the Bosnian arrests of Bektasevic and Cesur Abdulkadir (now aged 19) others were arrested in Denmark. On October 24, four young suspects were arrested in Copenhagen, followed by the arrest of two more on October 28 and another shortly after.

The youngest of the Danish suspects was 16 at the time of arrest. Six out of the seven Danish individuals attended the same mosque in Noebbro district, whose imam is the notorious Abu Laban. Laban, who would later provoke the cartoon crisis, said of the Danish suspects that the youths were introverted, because they had a "colossal hatred" toward society.

The trial of four of the Danish Muslims began on December 6, 2006. Seven people had been arrested at the end of 2005. Four had been apprehended on October 28, with two more arrested on October 29, with another apprehended shortly after.

The suspects have been named as Abdul Basit Abu-Lifa, Elias Ibn Hsain, Imad Ali Jaloud and Adnan Avdic.

When arrested the Danes were suspected of plotting a major terror attack against a major European target. It was soon revealed that they had been in contact with a man in Bosnia named "Maximus", aka Mirsad Bektasevic.

The four Danish suspects on trial have been linked to Mirsad Bektasevic ("Maximus") by mobile phone conversations and internet communications, said the prosecutor, Joergen Jensen. He said he would be presenting evidence of these at the trial. Mr Jensen told the 12-member jury: "They agreed with Maximus and Cesur that (the latter two) should travel to Bosnia to get hold of explosives."

The Danish defendants are aged 17 to 21, and could face life imprisonment if found guilty. The trial is expected to continue until February 16. Abdul Basit Abu-Lifa, Elias Ibn Hsain, Imad Ali Jaloud and Adnan Avdic have all pleaded not guilty to charges of "attempting terrorism", relating to their allegedly planning an attack in Bosnia or another European country. Their please were entered for them by lawyers. They themselves said nothing at the start of the court hearing, which took place in the Eastern High Court, Copenhagen.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at January 11, 2007 8:31 AM

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Posted by: Catawhumpus at January 11, 2007 11:02 AM

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