SIPA

Police officials of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) initiated an operation code-named “Damask” in a wide territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this operation, 16 individuals were arrested: A.K. (DOB 1983), E.H. (DOB 1992), H.F. (DOB 1967), M.Dž. (DOB 1980), M.K. (DOB 1980), S.B. (DOB 1986), I.D. (DOB 1971), E.M. (DOB 1979), S.H. (DOB 1974), E.D. (DOB 1984), S.H. (DOB 1979), F.Z. (DOB 1960), A.H. (DOB 1991), H.B. (DOB 1972), J.J. (DOB 1987) and E.M. (DOB 1987) 

Searches at 17 locations are underway in Sarajevo, Kiseljak, Zenica, Maglaj (Ošve and Gornja Bočina), Srebrenik (Gornja Maoča), Zvornik, Tuzla, Kalesija, Banovići, Bužim and Teslić with the aim of detecting and seizing items that can be used as evidence in further proceedings.

These individuals are suspected of committing criminal offences of financing terrorist activities, public incitement to terrorist activities, recruitment for terrorist activities, organising a terrorist group, all in conjunction with the criminal offence of terrorism. They are linked to financing, organising and recruiting BH nationals for departure to Syria and Iraq, as well as taking part in armed conflicts in Syria and Iraq, while fighting for radical terrorist groups and organisations such as ISIS, ISIL/Islamic State, Jabhatun Nusra and others.

The activities carried out today included 15 additional individuals found on site during the operation. Currently, nature of their stay in the mentioned locations is being inspected, and the decision about their status will be made additionally, in line with instructions by the acting Prosecutor.

During the searches, weapons, ammunition and other military equipment have been found, as well as propaganda materials, computers and computer equipment, mobile telephones, SIM cards and other items.

The activities are being carried out upon orders by the court BH and Prosecutor’s Office BH, with more than 200 police officials involved. The operation is being carried out in cooperation with members of the Intelligence Security Agency BH, Republic of Srpska Ministry of Interior, Brčko District Police, Zenica-Doboj Canton Ministry of Interior, Tuzla Canton Ministry of Interior, Una-Sana Canton Ministry of Interior and Sarajevo Canton Ministry of Interior.

The arrested individuals will be brought to the official SIPA premises and criminally processed, whereupon they will be handed over to the Prosecutor’s office BH for further procedure.

Since the beginning of armed conflicts in Syria and Iraq, the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) has been collecting information referring to the departure of BH nationals to Syrian and other foreign battlegrounds. These activities have been carried out within the competence prescribed by the law and in line with obligations arising from the Strategy and Action Plan for the Prevention and Combating Terrorism, in cooperation with the Intelligence Security Agency and police agencies in BH. Today’s operation is the result of intensive activities carried out for several years.

In the framework of this case, SIPA previously submitted three reports on the perpetrated criminal offence and perpetrators against several individuals to the Prosecutor’s Office BH due to grounds for suspicion of having committed the criminal offence of organising a criminal group, recruiting for terrorist activities and public incitement to terrorist activities. The individuals against whom the reports were submitted are currently outside BH and warrants were issued for them.

The activities within the case code-named “Damask” will be continued intensively with the aim of identifying all the perpetrators and documenting the criminal offences.