Terror Swede jailed in Bosnia
A 19-year-old Swede has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by a court in Sarajevo. Mirsad Bektasevic, from Kungälv near Gothenburg, had been tried for terror-related offences.
A man with dual Danish and Turkish citizenship who was tried alongside the Swede was sentenced to 15 years in jail, according to Ritzau.
The two men were tried along with two Bosnians, charged with preparing a terror attack somewhere in Europe. All four were convicted on all charges.
The two Bosnians were sentenced to eight years and two years and six months respectively, according to SVT.
Ritzau's correspondent in Sarajevo reported that the Bektasevic, who went by the codename Maximus, smiled throughout proceedings, his smile growing broader as he received his sentence.
The Dane responded with a brief smile after his sentence was passed down.
The two Scandinavians were arrested on 19th October 2005 in an apartment in Sarajevo. Police found assorted bomb-making paraphernalia in the apartment, including 20 kilos of explosives, a belt of the type used in suicide bombs, hand grenades, guns and a video.
The 38-minute film features two masked men declaring their intention to attack European countries with troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Swede admitted at trial that the recording was made with a camera borrowed from his Bosnian aunt, but denies being one of the two men in the video.
Exactly what Bektasevic's target was has not been established by prosecutors, although the British Embassy in Sarajevo or Nato troops have been mentioned in press reports as potential subjects of his attack.
Shortly after the two men were arrested, Danish police launched raids leading to terror-related charges against four young men.
The men are currently awaiting trial in Denmark. Prosecutors, using evidence gathered in Sweden and Denmark, believe they can demonstrate that all six men met in a mosque in Copenhagen in summer 2005.
The trial in Bosnia ended on Friday, having started in the summer. The 19-year-old Swede has spent nearly 15 months on remand in Bosnia.
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A man with dual Danish and Turkish citizenship who was tried alongside the Swede was sentenced to 15 years in jail, according to Ritzau.
The two men were tried along with two Bosnians, charged with preparing a terror attack somewhere in Europe. All four were convicted on all charges.
The two Bosnians were sentenced to eight years and two years and six months respectively, according to SVT.
Ritzau's correspondent in Sarajevo reported that the Bektasevic, who went by the codename Maximus, smiled throughout proceedings, his smile growing broader as he received his sentence.
The Dane responded with a brief smile after his sentence was passed down.
The two Scandinavians were arrested on 19th October 2005 in an apartment in Sarajevo. Police found assorted bomb-making paraphernalia in the apartment, including 20 kilos of explosives, a belt of the type used in suicide bombs, hand grenades, guns and a video.
The 38-minute film features two masked men declaring their intention to attack European countries with troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Swede admitted at trial that the recording was made with a camera borrowed from his Bosnian aunt, but denies being one of the two men in the video.
Exactly what Bektasevic's target was has not been established by prosecutors, although the British Embassy in Sarajevo or Nato troops have been mentioned in press reports as potential subjects of his attack.
Shortly after the two men were arrested, Danish police launched raids leading to terror-related charges against four young men.
The men are currently awaiting trial in Denmark. Prosecutors, using evidence gathered in Sweden and Denmark, believe they can demonstrate that all six men met in a mosque in Copenhagen in summer 2005.
The trial in Bosnia ended on Friday, having started in the summer. The 19-year-old Swede has spent nearly 15 months on remand in Bosnia.
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