Posted on 01/28/2003 9:27:19 AM PST by Destro
NATO Refuses to Hand Over Bosnia Terror Suspect
Jan. 28 — SARAJEVO (Reuters) - NATO peacekeepers have rejected a request from Bosnian authorities to hand over a man detained on suspicion of spying on their troops and links to the al Qaeda network, a spokesman said Tuesday.
Bosnia's tripartite presidency asked the NATO-led force SFOR earlier this month to hand over Sabahudin Fiuljanin to the Muslim-Croat federation, one of Bosnia's two autonomous regions, after the country's top human rights court ordered it to do so. The Human Rights Chamber said he was being detained illegally.
"Mr. Fiuljanin remains detained in Tuzla as the investigation into his activities continues," SFOR spokesman Shawn Mell told reporters, declining to say why SFOR refused to transfer the suspect to local authorities.
Fiuljanin was arrested on October 26 near an SFOR base in northern Bosnia. Troops found an anti-tank weapon in his house, Bosnian and other passports in his name, and later said they had information linking him with al Qaeda.
Western officials are concerned that some Bosnians may be linked to radical Islamist movements, but stress the vast majority of Bosnian Muslims practice a moderate version of their faith.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have accused SFOR of trampling on Fiuljanin's rights and detaining him without charge.
Last January, Bosnia extradited six Algerians detained on suspicion of links to the al Qaeda network of Islamic militant Osama bin Laden. The United States transferred them to Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. military base in Cuba.
Many countries have asked the United States to extradite prisoners held as part of its "war on terror" for local trials. Human rights groups have urged Washington to either charge Guantanamo Bay prisoners, try them or let them go.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Keep stressing it, lest the American people realize they were decieved (except the Freepers of course) by the Great Stain Maker, Bill Cinton.
The arrests have only been made against terrorists who were directly threatening US personnel. Otherwise, al-Qaeda operates unhindered in Bosnia, as in Kosovo and Albania.
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