Salem Hatibović and Nihad Trnka Charged with Setting Fire to the Presidency of BiH Building

Salem Hatibović, born in 1958 in Sarajevo, and Nihad Trnka, born in 1992 in Konjic, have been charged with setting fire to the Presidency of BiH building in Sarajevo on February 7, 2014, reports the Patria news agency.  

The indictment, filed against the two by a prosecutor from the Terrorism Section of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, states that on February 7, 2014, around 4:00 PM, Hatibović arrived in his vehicle in front of the Presidency of BiH building, after which he took out from the trunk and distributed to violent demonstrators, including the accused Trnka, bottles containing flammable liquid, so-called Molotov cocktails.

Using the Molotov cocktails, the demonstrators set fire to official and police vehicles of the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies of BiH, and threw the same bottles into the Presidency of BiH building to cause a fire.

The accused Hatibović, with pre-prepared incendiary devices, caused a fire at the police booth on the western side of the Presidency of BiH building, while the accused Trnka approached the building from the side where the ceremonial entrance is located, on Maršala Tita Street, and broke windows on the right side of the building, where the Archives of Bosnia and Herzegovina are located, after which he used an open flame to set fire to paper which he threw through the window into the Archives premises, then went to the eastern side of the building, where he used a lighter to set fire to curtains in that room, after which, together with other demonstrators, he blocked the approaches to the Presidency building.

- By these actions, great material damage was caused to the Presidency of BiH building and other institutions, in the amount of approximately 400,000 KM, and archival material of invaluable value for the cultural and historical heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina was destroyed.

The accused are charged with causing danger to human life and property on a large scale through the fire, and causing property damage of large proportions, thereby committing a serious criminal offense against the general safety of people and property. The Prosecutor's Office of BiH conducted a thorough investigation and will prove the guilt of the accused by calling 35 witnesses and 5 expert witnesses from various fields, and more than 50 pieces of evidence have been attached to the indictment, including video recordings of the aforementioned events.

The Prosecutor's Office of BiH continues activities on identifying and prosecuting other persons who participated in the burning and destruction of the Presidency of BiH building and other institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the statement from the Prosecutor's Office of BiH reads.