Bosnian police arrest four men,
including one suspected of terrorist ties
By Ward Sanderson,
Bosnia bureau
Bosnian special police announced Thursday that they have arrested four North Africans
on charges ranging from terrorism to fraud — including one man U.S. officials suspect
of having connections to convicted terrorist Ahmed Ressam.
Ressam was convicted April 6 in a federal court in Los Angeles on explosives smuggling
and terrorism charges. Police arrested the Algerian national in December 1999 after he
arrived in Port Angeles, Wash., with a trunkful of explosives hauled via ferry from
Canada.
Investigators said Ressam planned to carry out terrorist attacks during West Coast
millennial celebrations.
They also believe Ressam was an operative of Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network.
The Bosnian police investigation happened over the last several months, with the most
recent arrests happening July 19. One of the men, Said Atmani, 34, has been named by U.S.
prosecutors as a former roommate of Ressam while living in Canada.
U.S. peacekeepers issued a bulletin around New Year’s 2000 asking troops to keep
an eye out for Atmani.
Bosnia’s Federation Ministry of the Interior confirmed it arrested Atmani on an
Interpol warrant issued in France. The warrant accuses Atmani of "criminal acts in
relation to terrorism, heavy violence and property destruction."
Bosnia now holds Atmani in a prison in Zenica, according to the ministry.
Bosnian authorities would not provide additional information about the French interest
in Atmani. France recently sentenced alleged associate Ressam in absentia to five years in
prison for belonging to an Islamic terrorist network.
Last week, Bosnian police arrested two Egyptians — Hassan Mahmoud Saad Al Sherif,
35, and Arman Ahmed Al Husseiny, 40 — in the town of Zenica.
Al Sherif is accused of unspecified terrorist activities and living under the alias
"Sakhr." Al Husseiny is charged with living in Bosnia under an alias and
falsifying records.
Bosnian police turned over an Algerian named Zoehir Choulah, 29, to French authorities
in June, also on a terrorism warrant.
Atmani has been described as both a native of Algeria and Morocco.
All of the men held naturalized Bosnian citizenships. Bosnia granted citizenship to
many foreign Muslims who fought during the country’s civil war.
Bosnian officials responded to questions only by issuing printed statements.
They also named a native of Yugoslavia, Nazim Uskuplu, among those arrested.
Police booked Uskuplu on drug charges but it wasn’t clear if he had any dealings
with the others.
U.S. officials had little to add on possible connections to U.S. terrorism cases.
"As a matter of policy, we don’t comment on those matters," said Karen
Williams, spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo.
An Interpol official also refused to comment. "We’re not allowed to say
anything," an investigator said.
International peacekeepers did not have additional information.
"That would be a police issue that we wouldn’t be involved in," said
Capt. Andrew Coxhead, a Canadian army officer and Stabilization Force spokesman.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Richard Sater, a spokesman for U.S. forces, said he had not heard
of the arrests.
The story of the most recent arrests first broke Thursday morning. The daily
Oslobodjenje got a tip that Bosnia planned to turn one of those arrested over to the
Central Intelligence Agency. The source said that President Bush had been informed of the
arrests.
When questioned, reporter Ashar Kalamujic said his source was a police officer.
In a possibly related case, U.S. federal prosecutors charged a London-based Algerian
with conspiring to blow up the Los Angeles airport during New Year’s celebrations
ushering in 2000. They believe the man — Dr. Haydar Abu Doha — is a key figure
in bin Laden’s terrorist network.
Ivana Avramovic in Bosnia contributed to this story.
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