Žurnal: Croatia Expelled BiH Citizens Who Refused to Spy for SOA

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - My name is E.O. I moved to Zagreb in 2014 as a minor. At the beginning of my final year of high school, I received a call from a certain Zvonko, an employee of the Croatian Security-Intelligence Agency (SOA). We met at Petrinjska Street 30 in Zagreb. I was asked to turn off my phone.

Sarajevo's Žurnal writes that this man from Zavidovići became a "collaborator" of the Croatian intelligence service SOA, and that they "interrogated him for months about Salafis in BiH, about settlements in Zavidovići, and about people in the Zagreb mosque."

"We met for coffee at Leggiero in Lastovska Street, we were often at McDonald's. He sometimes offered me money, and often pressured me. He threatened me with expulsion from Croatia. He asked me for my Facebook profile password," claims E.O.

"They asked me to go to the Oasis mosque in Zavidovići where Salafis gather. They asked me to go to Gornja Maoča and Bočinju, and to stay there for a certain period. I refused," says E.O.

This magazine writes that E.O. shortly after received a call to the police, and that he received a decision that he must leave Croatia within six days, because, according to SOA's assessment, he represents a danger to national security, or, in translation, that he is a "radical Islamist close to terrorist groups."

The Croatian SOA found itself in the spotlight of a scandal in recent days after it was announced that intelligence officers and diplomats of the Republic of Croatia attempted at least twice to recruit members of the Salafi movement from BiH to transport weapons and explosives to mosques in the Zenica-Doboj Canton. The goal was, as stated in the documents held by BiH security agencies, which the Žurnal magazine refers to, to confirm the accusations of Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who stated that "BiH is a hotbed of terrorism," with these actions.

The media allegations about Croatia's intelligence activities against BiH were confirmed by the Minister of Security of BiH, Dragan Mektić, while Croatian authorities refuse to acknowledge intelligence activities against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

'DANGEROUS CARPENTER'

The same magazine published a story on Saturday about Semir Aganović from Travnik. He cannot enter Croatia for the next three years. First, in October 2018, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, Sinj Police Station, issued a "residence and work permit" to BiH citizen Semir Aganović as a carpenter in the company Jukić-dam d.o.o. The residence permit was valid until October 22, 2019. However, fifteen days after the Ministry of Internal Affairs assessed that there were no obstacles to his residence and work in Croatia, members of the Croatian intelligence service contacted him.

"They interrogated me for two hours, twice. They asked me for information about bearded men, Wahhabis. They asked where they move. I said I had no idea about that. They asked about terrorists in BiH. When I said I didn't know anything, they issued a decision that I was a danger to Croatia's national security. I was expelled," said Semir Aganović.

The record of the Sinj Police Station, dated November 16, 2018, states that the expulsion procedure was initiated "based on the request of SOA." Thus, the same police station, only 20 days earlier, claimed that there were no obstacles to Semir Aganović's stay in Croatia. However, after Aganović said he knew nothing about "terrorists and Wahhabis in BiH," he became a danger to Croatia's national security. In translation - a terrorist.