Three Bosnian Islamists have been charged with terrorism offences and illegal weapons trafficking, a Bosnian court said on Tuesday. Rijad Rustempasic, Abdulah Handzic and Edis Velic have been charged with criminal offences of “terrorism, associating for the purpose of the perpetration of criminal offences and illegal trafficking in weapons, military equipment and products of dual use,” the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina said in a statement.The three were arrested in November following an intense investigation which prosecutors said involved interviews with nearly 70 different witnesses and several suspects, as well as the collection of over 1000 pieces of evidence in Bosnia, Germany, Austria, and elsewhere. The men were previously detained by Bosnian authorities in March last year, but were released after three months in detention due to lack of evidence.
As part of the same indictment, the court charged RustempasicÂ’s brother Muhamed and another man, Edis Strol, with trafficking in weapons and military equipment and being part of a criminal association. Both men were arrested by police earlier this year and have remained in detention since their capture.
The group, organized by Rijad Rustempasic, “purchased and possessed weapons, explosives and various products of dual use suitable for making improvised explosive devices,” the court said. “All of this was prepared in order to carry out an attack on one of the identified targets with the view to seriously intimidate the citizens and destabilize fundamental political, constitutional, economic and social structures,” it added.
Bosnian media previously reported that the indicted men were linked to terrorist groups in Austria and Germany and were planning to attack European Union peacekeepers and Catholic shrines in Bosnia. Their specific targets included soldiers of the EU countries with forces in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as a Franciscan Monastery in Fojnica, Bosnia, local media said.
All five men were reported to be the followers of the strict Saudi interpretation of Islam, known as Wahhabism.