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Republika Srpska Halts Investigation into ‘Incitement to Terrorism’

22. February 2021.12:44
The Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bosnia’s Republika Srpska entity has ended an investigation of Zijad Halilovic from the town of Lukavac, who police suspected of “incitement to acts of terrorism” because of statements he posted on Facebook.

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The Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office. Foto: BIRN BiH

The Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office told BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina that it launched the probe because the Republika Srpska Interior Ministry filed a report about its suspicions that Halilovic had committed a criminal offence.

“As there was no sufficient evidence that the suspect committed the crime in question, the designated prosecutor issued an order to discontinue the investigation,” the Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office said.

The Republika Srpska Interior Ministry previously said that it suspected Halilovic of having published a statement on his Facebook page on January 23, 2019, which “openly called for the liquidation of top officials of Republika Srpska” and included “personal ideas inciting terrorist acts”.

Media in Republika Srpska reported at the time that the suspect wrote on his Facebook page that he would launch an initiative to collect money to recruit a sniper who would “execute” most senior Republika Srpska officials.

As part of the investigation, the Republika Srpska police worked with the Tuzla Canton Interior Ministry. During the search of locations where Halilovic lived, they found a handgun and grenade, as well as some propaganda materials.

The Republika Srpska Interior Ministry previously told BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina that in the period from 2018 to 2020, it filed three reports accusing three individuals of public incitement to terrorist acts, plus a supplement to one of the reports accusing one of the suspects of financing acts of terrorism.

The Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office told BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina that it has a terrorism case involving one suspect and that it is currently in the investigation phase.

Meanwhile, the Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office has discontinued a separate investigation into a man called Abidin Mehmedinovic from the city of Zvornik due to a lack of evidence.

Mehmedinovic was suspected of having formed and trained a group in order to join terrorist organisations linked to the Syrian conflict zone.

Haris Rovčanin


This post is also available in: Bosnian