Wahhabi trial: SMS messages as evidence

SMS messages exchanged between the accused and the late Ismail Prentic have been introduced as evidence at the trial of 15 Wahhabi accused of terrorism. “It will be ok, inshallah, I pray for Allah to kill me, I won’t let them take me alive, inshallah,“ wrote Prentic in a message to an unknown person on April 17, 2007, three days before he perished while resisting arrest. Wahhabi trial: SMS messages as evidence That same day, he sent defendant Safet Becirovic a message reading: “S.A. (Salam al lekum). Brother. What’s up? We’ve arrived, tell Safi not to worry.“ Becirovic said that the message had indeed been sent to his number, but he could not explain how, as he could neither read nor send messages, so that he could not understand how messages had been sent from his number to Prentic. “[U.S. President George] Bush could have sent me a message. There were a lot of messages at that time, but I didn’t know Ismail,“ he said. At the time of his death on April 20, 2007, Prentic had been sheltering at the house of Adem Becirovic, Safet Becirovic’s father. On April 19, Prentic exchanged a number of messages with an unknown person where he mentioned ammunition, snipers, weaponry, C4 explosives, 50,000 bullets, and called fellow accused Adnan Hot “scum and a police mercenary.“ Hot, who was arrested in Germany and extradited to Serbia, said that these messages proved that Prentic had not trusted him, which why he and Prentic could not have been the group ringleaders. Belgrade District Court Judge Milan Ranic (presiding) asked Hot whether he knew who Prentic had been in contact with. The accused replied that Prentic had clearly been exchanging messages “with a Shiptar“ as Kosovska Mitrovica was mentioned and because that individual’s Serbian had been poor. First-accused Senad Ramovic then interjected to explain that the "Safija" mentioned in the messages was Prentic’s mother-in-law. The deputy special prosecutor asked Ramovic whether he knew one Bajram Aslani. The accused replied that he did not and that Prentic had never mentioned him. Aslani, from Kosovska Mitrovica, is accused by the Special Court for Terrorism of being a member of a separate Wahhabi group, and he is being tried in absentia, as he is on the run. Today’s hearing also featured the reading out of a list of articles taken from the home of accused brothers Jasmin and Erhan Smailovic, including a brochure entitled “The Unsheathed Sword“, “Correct Interpretation of the Koran“, a black flag with an inscription in Arabic, 67 CDs, ammunition and binoculars. The trial will continue tomorrow when computer footage seized from accused Mehmedin Koljsi is due to be submitted in evidence. The group is accused of plotting to murder mufti Muamer Zukorlic, as well as a planned attack on a mosque in Novi Pazar and a police station in the town. The indictment states that the group set up a terrorist training camp on Ninaj mountain near Novi Pazar. It adds that the group established close ties with like-minded groups in neighboring countries and throughout the world, with whom it communicated both directly and via e-mail. The trial continues tomorrow at 10:00 CET.

Wahhabi trial: SMS messages as evidence

That same day, he sent defendant Safet Bećirović a message reading: “S.A. (Salam al lekum). Brother. What’s up? We’ve arrived, tell Safi not to worry.“

Bećirović said that the message had indeed been sent to his number, but he could not explain how, as he could neither read nor send messages, so that he could not understand how messages had been sent from his number to Prentić.

“[U.S. President George] Bush could have sent me a message. There were a lot of messages at that time, but I didn’t know Ismail,“ he said.

At the time of his death on April 20, 2007, Prentić had been sheltering at the house of Adem Bećirović, Safet Bećirović’s father.

On April 19, Prentić exchanged a number of messages with an unknown person where he mentioned ammunition, snipers, weaponry, C4 explosives, 50,000 bullets, and called fellow accused Adnan Hot “scum and a police mercenary.“

Hot, who was arrested in Germany and extradited to Serbia, said that these messages proved that Prentić had not trusted him, which why he and Prentić could not have been the group ringleaders.

Belgrade District Court Judge Milan Ranić (presiding) asked Hot whether he knew who Prentić had been in contact with.

The accused replied that Prentić had clearly been exchanging messages “with a Shiptar“ as Kosovska Mitrovica was mentioned and because that individual’s Serbian had been poor.

First-accused Senad Ramović then interjected to explain that the "Safija" mentioned in the messages was Prentić’s mother-in-law.

The deputy special prosecutor asked Ramović whether he knew one Bajram Aslani. The accused replied that he did not and that Prentić had never mentioned him.

Aslani, from Kosovska Mitrovica, is accused by the Special Court for Terrorism of being a member of a separate Wahhabi group, and he is being tried in absentia, as he is on the run.

Today’s hearing also featured the reading out of a list of articles taken from the home of accused brothers Jasmin and Erhan Smailović, including a brochure entitled “The Unsheathed Sword“, “Correct Interpretation of the Koran“, a black flag with an inscription in Arabic, 67 CDs, ammunition and binoculars.

The trial will continue tomorrow when computer footage seized from accused Mehmedin Koljši is due to be submitted in evidence.

The group is accused of plotting to murder mufti Muamer Zukorlić, as well as a planned attack on a mosque in Novi Pazar and a police station in the town.

The indictment states that the group set up a terrorist training camp on Ninaj mountain near Novi Pazar.

It adds that the group established close ties with like-minded groups in neighboring countries and throughout the world, with whom it communicated both directly and via e-mail.

The trial continues tomorrow at 10:00 CET.