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Bosnia arrests alleged militants

September 3, 2014

Police in Bosnia have arrested 15 people on suspicion of lending material support to Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria. The suspects allegedly financed terrorism and recruited fighters.

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Bosnien police arrest alleged Islamist militant 03.09.2014
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/Amel Emric

Some 200 Bosnian police launched a sweep against suspected Islamist militants on Wednesday, targeting 17 locations across the country.

At least 15 people were arrested during the operation. Those detained are suspected of supporting Islamist militant groups fighting in the Iraq and Syrian wars.

"The suspects are connected to financing, organizing and recruiting Bosnian citizens to depart for Syria and Iraq, and taking part in armed conflicts in Syria and Iraq, fighting on the side of radical terrorist groups and organizations," the police said in a press release.

In April, Bosnia passed a law that imposes a 10-year prison sentence on anyone convicted of fighting in or recruiting people for conflicts abroad.

Bosnia's population is approximately 45 percent Muslim. Although most Bosniaks practice a moderate form of Islam, some foreign jihadists fought in the Balkan country's 1992-1995 civil war, which pitted Muslims against Serbs and sometimes Croats.

slk/ksb (AP, AFP, Reuters)