Islamic State Suspect ‘Expressed Remorse for Going to Syria’

Psychiatric expert witness Omer Cemalovic told the state court that he examined Jasmin Keserovic and interviewed him, and that the defendant expressed verbal remorse for going to Syria.

“We had a pretty long conversation. On the basis of his emotional reactions, I drew my conclusion about his verbal remorse,” Cemalovic explained.

“He attended a secondary school and left it in order to become involved in religion in a completely different manner. He went there [Syria] to follow his ideals, but those stances do not justify the way things were done,” he said.

He added that the defendant came from a religious family and was 19 when he left Bosnia and Herzegovina for Syria. Defence lawyer Senad Dupovac then clarified that his client had left at the age of 18-and-a-half.

Cemalovic said that the defendant did not demonstrated any signs of a temporary or permanent mental disorder, he was not addicted to any substances, his mental capacity was diminished at the moment that he committed the crime, but not significantly, and that he was capable of following the trial.

The prosecution then introduced material evidence, including a letter from the Border Police suggesting that Keserovic left Bosnia on January 23, 2013 via Sarajevo Airport, identification records and documents obtained by the Justice Ministry through international legal assistance, which prosecutor Cazim Hasanspahic said proved that the defendant was on the Syrian battlefront and also lived in reception centres in Syria.

The defence raised an objection about the lawfulness of the way the identification process was carried out, but the prosecutor said this was done after witnesses had given their statements.

Regarding the other documents, Dupovac noted that the prosecutor said the defendant was on the Syrian battlefront, although the documents only said he was in Syria.

“My client was in Syria, not on the Syrian battlefront. Not every place was affected by the war,” Dupovac said.

Keserovic is charged with going from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Syria, where alongside other individuals from Bosnia, he participated in terrorist activities, provided help and fought for Islamic State forces in the towns of Manbij, Kobani, Raqqa and al-Bab as a member of the Bejt Komandos unit, which was later renamed el-Aksa, against the legitimate military forces of the Syrian state.

The indictment further alleges that Keserovic, wearing a uniform and armed with an automatic rifle, used media to send a message to the public directly inciting terrorist acts including attacks and killings.

The trial continues on January 28.