Four individuals indicted for organizing departure to battlefields in Syria and Iraq

The prosecutor of the Terrorism Section within the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH has filed an indictment against Husein Erdić (1981) from Bužim, Midhat Traka (1948) from Vitez, Nevada Hušidić (1988) from Velika Kladuša, and Merim Keserović (1996) from Bihać for organizing the departure of BiH citizens to foreign battlefields in Syria and Iraq, the Prosecutor's Office of BiH announced.

The accused are charged with committing the criminal offense of illegal formation and joining of foreign paramilitary and parapolice formations.

– The accused are charged that the first-accused Erdić, with the aim of joining a foreign paramilitary formation operating outside the territory of BiH, at the beginning of February 2015, organized, led, and agreed with persons known to him from the territory of the Republic of Turkey, to organize the departure of the accused Hušidić and Keserović from the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the aim of their joining the ISIL terrorist organization in the territory of Syria and Iraq, which was declared a terrorist organization by the UN Security Council Resolution of 13.05.2013 – the indictment states.

– The accused Erdić gave instructions and directions to the accused Hušidić and Keserović to contact the accused Traka, who would provide them with the necessary funds for their transport to Syria and Iraq, after which they received money from the accused Traka and bought plane tickets to Istanbul for February 17, 2015, and he gave them instructions on internet contacts and the phone number of a person in Turkey to contact for further transport to the territory of Syria – the indictment of the BiH Prosecutor's Office states.

-Through the decisive action of the BiH Prosecutor's Office and police and security agencies, the accused were discovered, located, and apprehended while the accused Hušidić and Keserović were attempting to travel to Turkey.

For the criminal offense they are charged with, an prison sentence ranging from one to 20 years is prescribed.

– The indictment shows the commitment of the BiH Prosecutor's Office and police and security agencies in the fight against terrorism and terrorist activities, as well as preventing the departure of BiH citizens to foreign battlefields.

Within the investigation, significant cooperation was achieved with partner institutions and agencies from other countries in the fight against terrorism – it was stated in the announcement of the BiH Prosecutor's Office.