Bosnian authorities detained Islamic State jihadist for terrorism

A Bosnian Muslim who fought for Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria has been indicted for terrorism after he was brought back to the country in December, the office of the state prosecutor said on Thursday.

Armen Dzelko, 30, who is from the wider Sarajevo area, has been in custody since he was extradited from Syria following his surrender to the anti-terrorist coalition late last year.

He was returned as part of a group of 25 former IS fighters, women and children. Seven men from the group were immediately detained.

Dzelko has been indicted for organising a terrorist group, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

Using the names “Abdullah” and “Ike”, Dzelko spent nearly seven years in Syria, where he participated in terrorist activities, fought on the side of Islamic State militants, and was wounded several times, the statement said.

Bosnia’s state court has tried and convicted 46 people who have returned from Syria or Iraq over the past few years.

According to Bosnian intelligence, 241 adults and 80 children left Bosnia or the Bosnian diaspora from 2012-2016 for Syria and Iraq, where 150 more children were born. At least 88 have since died or been killed.

Source: Swiss Info