• Sweden edition

Convicted terrorist back in Sweden

Published: 4 Jul 09 06:00 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/20456/20090704/

A 21-year-old Swedish man who was convicted of terror-related crimes in Bosnia-Hercegovina has been transferred to a Swedish prison.

Mirsad Bektasevic, from Kungälv near Gothenburg, was convicted by a court in Sarajevo in January 2007 of crimes including ‘intending to carry out a terrorist act’, storing illegal weapons and assaulting a public servant.

Bektasevic’s initial sentence of 15 years and four months was reduced to eight years and four months on appeal. His application to serve out the remainder of his sentence in Sweden was granted last spring.

Bektasevic was transferred to Sweden approximately two weeks ago, according to a report in the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper. “The Swedish police came and collected him,” Britt Bhatt, counsellor at the Swedish Embassy in Sarajevo, told the newspaper.

TT/Stuart Roberts (news@thelocal.se)

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10:10 July 4, 2009 by MorbidMiss
So they will be releasing him on furlough any day now so that he can go blow something up right?
10:36 July 4, 2009 by Harding00
But of course, that's the way the Swedish criminal justice system works.
11:23 July 4, 2009 by svenskdod
... and of course, the reason why he wanted to serve the remaining time in Sweden is because of the "Waldorf" like conditions in the prisons. I imagine Sarajevo prisons are not as country-club like.

Little bit of trivia for everyone. More money goes from the government to individual meals for inmates than does to meals for school kids. Criminals eat better than kids at school. How can this be justified?
15:13 July 4, 2009 by Harding00
It is justified because it is Sweden...no other reason
22:29 July 4, 2009 by Michael84
agreed Morbidmiss!
03:38 July 5, 2009 by decency
slavic wog

likely muzzie terrorist as well

Sweden is falling fast letting in these people from balkan and middle east and animals from afrika

perhaps it'll be a zoo in decades
10:10 July 5, 2009 by Kaethar
Nice headline... he's not a terrorist since he wasn't convicted of terrorism.

And in the Swedish news it says he'll be out in ~2 years. Perfectly just, in my opinion since it seems very unlikely that he'll try to do something again. He'll be under tight surveillance, anyway.
11:48 July 5, 2009 by Inletwatcher
I guess there was at one time, more in the news about this case.

This article has many missing happenings, guess my 'read full article' button is broken. Again.
11:52 July 5, 2009 by Kind Man
It just became a Fashion to call someone "Terrorist" Iran called their attacks on its embassy in Stockholm terrorist attacks. Someone who sell weapon you call him terrorists.

Then you can call Sweden the biggest terrorists for selling different kinds of weapons.. I am lost in this word.Now dont know who is criminal who is terrorist.
13:47 July 5, 2009 by 7
terrorist-related crimes and "intending to carry out a terrorist act" makes someone a terrorist.
19:20 July 5, 2009 by Mucker
So would that make someone convicted of "attenmpted murder" a murderer?
19:56 July 5, 2009 by 7
the definition of terrorist isn't dependent on a conviction. is a soldier not a soldier without having gone to war? and what is a fire fighter who has never fought a fire? then we have loads of non firefighters getting paid for something they aren't.
00:38 July 6, 2009 by Kaethar
Er...no.

Exactly.

Yes it is.

Aha. You're comparing terrorism to a career profession? Reason they're called soldiers/fire-fighters is because they've done the training and received a certificate stating that they're qualified for said job (metaphorically speaking in some cases). To be a thief/murder/terrorist/rapist you actually have to commit the crime.
01:16 July 6, 2009 by 7
good to know that the 19 hijackers (well, they couldn't be hijackers either without a conviction either then) weren't terrorists just people committing suicide in an airplane. bummer for all the others who were just unfortunate collateral damage.

eh, no. vocations and people who have undergone training or some preparation intended to gear them up for their "mission". if you aim to be a terrorist and aid and abet in terrorism related activities, you're a terrorist.
01:18 July 6, 2009 by Stuart Parsons
Sweden should only have accepted him into its prison system if he agreed to serve a full ten years.
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