TV reports on Bosnian supporters of Islamist radical indicted in UK
BBC Monitoring - October 26, 2004, Tuesday

Excerpt from report aired on "60 Minutes" current affairs programme broadcast by Bosnia-Hercegovina Federation TV on 25 October

Host Bakir Hadziomerovic Six days ago an indictment was issued in London against the radical Islamist Abu Hamza Al-Masri. As many as ten out of the 16 charges in the indictment are related to instigation of violence and murders. Four counts of the indictment charge Abu Hamza with instigating racial hatred, and one each with possession of terrorist documents and possession of inflammatory video and audio recordings. These recordings also include video materials produced during the war in Bosnia-Hercegovina, where Abu Hamza Al-Masri spent some time, leaving behind followers who continue to promote the idea of radical Islam linked to terrorism. Amarildo Gutic:

Reporter Amarildo Gutic Passage omitted: the reporter explains the background to the case Glenn Genvey, a British independent counter-intelligence investigator, has contributed the most to the issuance of the British indictment against Abu Hamza Al-Masri. After he had convinced Abu Hamza that he was an operator of an extremist Internet site, he Abu Hamza sent him several secret propaganda films intended for recruitment of new soldiers.

Investigators claim that the video recordings had been used to win over British Muslims to receive terrorist training for jihad in camps in Afghanistan and Bosnia. The recordings include some that show the killing of civilians and prisoners, which we will not air although we have them. The recording continues with a speech by Abu Hamza at a closed meeting on the need to recruit suicide bombers. Footage of Abu Hamza speaking at a meeting shown Afterwards, three British volunteers speak of their experience in Bosnia. All the three invite Muslims in Britain to receive jihad training and criticize those who are happy just donating money or offering moral support.

Passage omitted: the report provides more details of the case

It was the issuance of an indictment against Abu Hamza in the USA that led to a number of, for the time being, written reactions by supporters of Abu Hamza's movement called Ansariyah Shariah as heard . Supporters of the movement, established in 1994, can also be found in Bosnia-Hercegovina. They operate in absolute secrecy and are considered the most radical Islamists. There are allegations that it was this group that provoked riots and the clash with the police over the deportation to the US of the so-called Algerian group from a Sarajevo prison in January 2002 . Their website includes material inviting people to intolerance, violence and even terrorism. Passage omitted: the reporter reads from the website

Our attempts to get in touch with them through several sources have been futile. However, it has been confirmed to us that Abu Hamza Al-Masri certainly was in Bosnia-Hercegovina during the war, when he recruited his sympathizers. Although most Western sources report that he lost his arm and eye fighting in Afghanistan, there are allegations that he was injured in Bosnia in 1994 while handling a bomb. In any case, a number of those who met him speak of him disparagingly today because they believe that he has gone beyond the pale by declaring even the Bosnia-Hercegovina Army unlawful since it does not rule by Allah's law. Those who support him are still secretly working to promote ideas of radical Islam. No matter how few they may be, owing to their support for Abu Hamza Al-Masri and those like him, international media have once again indicated Bosnia-Hercegovina as a place where international terrorists enjoy support.
 

SOURCE: Bosnia-Hercegovina Federation TV, Sarajevo, in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian 1850 gmt 25 Oct 04

Copyright 2004 British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC Monitoring Europe - Political
Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
 

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