Prosecutor's Office of BiH Still Investigating Terrorist Attacks in Zvornik, Rajlovac and Zavidovići

Three terrorist acts that occurred in BiH during 2015 – the attacks in Zvornik, Rajlovac and Zavidovići – are still under investigation by the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, writes the BiH news agency Patria.

- The cases are in the investigation phase and we cannot provide additional information or comments – stated the Prosecutor's Office of BiH.

First attack in Zvornik

We recall, on April 27, 2015, the attacker Nerdin Ibrić came to the Zvornik Police Station, entered the premises and started shooting. In the exchange of fire, one police officer was killed and two were wounded. Ibrić was also killed.   

The Prosecutor's Office of BiH then formed, by order of the Chief Prosecutor, an investigative team that included prosecutors from the Terrorism Department of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, as well as investigators and expert associates, who are working on the investigation in this case to shed light on the terrorist act.  

Although Kasim Mehidić and Avdulah Hasanović were arrested on suspicion of involvement in this act and spent a month in custody before being released, no indictment has been filed to date, nor is there a clear motive for why Ibrić carried out the attack. While some claimed he was close to the Salafi community, others saw the reason in revenge because Ibrić, as a child, lost his father who was killed by members of the Army of Republika Srpska.

Murder of a soldier of the Armed Forces of BiH

The second attack being investigated by the Prosecutor's Office of BiH occurred on November 18, 2015, in the late afternoon hours in the immediate vicinity of the barracks of the Armed Forces of BiH in Rajlovac. The attacker Enes Omeragić, armed with a rifle, entered a sports betting shop and fired at two members of the Armed Forces of BiH. Nedeljko Radić and Armin Salkić died from their injuries.

Upon leaving the betting shop, Omeragić saw another member of the Armed Forces of BiH in uniform near a nearby bus and fired, causing injuries from glass shards. Omeragić fled towards Sokolje where he barricaded himself in a house, and after several hours committed suicide.

Allegedly, during a search of his house, items and literature linked to ISIL and radical Islam were found. Several witnesses claimed that Omeragić deliberately targeted Radić and Salkić because he had previously had a conflict with them and wanted revenge.

Unknown attacker in Zavidovići

Just a few days later, during the night of November 23 to 24, 2015, an explosive device was thrown at the Zavidovići Police Station.

As was stated at the time, there are indications that this case contains elements of the criminal offense of terrorism, and the handling of this case was taken over by the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, which will lead the further investigation and by whose order a joint team of SIPA, the Federal Police Administration and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Zenica-Doboj Canton was formed, which will work on gathering operational information, as well as identifying and locating the perpetrator.

To date, the perpetrator of this act is unknown, as are the motives for any of these terrorist attacks.