Bosnian Terror Defendant ‘Has Scars Caused by Explosive Devices’
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Court expert Hamza Zujo said that while examining the defendant, he observed several scars caused by explosive devices, as well as one scar from an operation.
The surgical scar is located in the kidney area, Zujo said, adding that the defendant told him that his kidney and spleen had been taken out.
The state prosecution accuses Armen Dzelko, alias Abdullah and Ike, of travelling from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Syria in early 2013 and joining Islamic State.
He has also been charged with participating in terrorist activities including armed operations, attacks on the population, killings, unlawful detentions and hostage-taking.
It is further alleged that the defendant was wounded several times in Syria.
Following the defeat and collapse of Islamic State, he surrendered to coalition forces in Baghouz after which he was deported to Bosnia and Herzegovina at the end of 2019.
Mario Janecek of the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina also testified, saying that Islamic State was included in the UN’s list of terrorist organisations as a separate subject on May 30, 2013.
Janecek explained that UN member states had an obligation to take action against terrorist organisations on the list in terms of their access to financial resources and weapons, and also to investigate any links that individuals had with those organizations.
Defense lawyer Senad Dupovac asked whether it was illegal to have transactions or trade with Islamic State prior to May 30, 2013.
Janecek said the situation was not that simple, because Islamic State had existed before being included in the list of terrorist organisations as a separate subject. He suggested that Islamic State used to be a branch of al-Qaeda, but broke ties with it in 2014.
“They appeared as an al-Qaeda branch even back in 2004, 2006,” Janecek said.
He also said there were more than 200 organisations associated with al-Qaeda.
Both the prosecution and defence said they intended to negotiate a plea bargain. The trial is set to continue on July 1.
