Bosnia deports Algerian 'terror' suspect: official
SARAJEVO (AFP) — Bosnia said Friday it had deported an Algerian man suspected of terrorist links after stripping him of the country's citizenship.
"Information gathered by law enforcement agencies lead us to conclude that Atau Mimun was a danger to our national security and also inclined to crime," Deputy Security Minister Dragan Mektic told AFP.
Mektic added that Mimun "had contacts with some people who can be linked to terrorism," but refused to provide further details.
Mimun was among hundreds of foreigners, including a number of former Muslim fighters in Bosnia's war, who were recently stripped of their citizenship due to irregularities.
Mimun was the first of the group to have been deported from Bosnia.
Bosnia came under the spotlight after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States due to the presence in the former Yugoslav republic of ex-fighters from Islamic countries.
Hundreds of them joined the mainly Muslim army during Bosnia's 1992-1995 war. Although they were ordered to leave under the terms of the Dayton accords that ended the conflict, some stayed on after obtaining citizenship.
Six suspects of Arab origin linked to the Al-Qaeda network were arrested in Bosnia and handed over to US authorities in 2002.
Earlier this year, Bosnia jailed three Muslims found guilty of intending to carry out an attack in Bosnia or another European country with the aim of forcing the withdrawal of troops from Iraq or Afghanistan.