Bosnia Muslim leader's tomb blown up

Bosnia Muslim leader's tomb blown up

He said the explosion occurred around 3:05 am. Nobody was injured and surrounding buildings were only slightly damaged.

State and regional prosecutors were notified and an investigation is under way, officer Jerko Budimir said.

The police cordoned off the Muslim cemetery where Bosnian army soldiers killed during the 1992-95 siege of the capital had been buried, the state radio reported.

Schwarz-Schilling condemns vandalism

“I condemn this act, as I do every other act of violence, because they lead in the opposite direction of where this country needs to be going.” Bosnia-Herzegovina International High Official Christian Schwarz-Schilling said.

He said that Bosnia-Herzegovina has gone through too much and that there is a chance that this act will slow down the process of reconciliation. Schwarz-Schilling said that the tensions in the election campaign are often very high and that there should be no pointing of fingers or blame being put on anyone.

“I am calling on the political and religious leaders to demonstrate their leadership roles and make sure that understanding wins out.” Schwarz-Schilling said, adding that the attack is a great dishonour to the dead.

An act of terrorism

Bosnian officials have called the attack on Izetbegović’s tomb a terrorist act.

Presidency official Sulejman Tihić said that the desecration of Izetbegović’s tomb is a “terrorist and criminal act.”

“This is an attack on Bosnia-Herzegovina, peace and coexistence and an effort to destabilise the situation in our country.” Tihić said in a written statement to the media.

Chairman of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Council of Ministers Adnan Terzić cut his vacation short when he was informed of the bombing of Izetbegović’s tomb, stating that this was an act of vandalism.

Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ahmet Hadžipašić, said that such an act could only have been done by a “terrorist, nationalist or someone with a sick mind.”

“This is more than terrorism,” Police Chief Mevludin Halilović said after visiting the scene of the crime. He added that the Bosnia-Herzegovina Internal Affairs Minister will be taking additional measures to ensure that the security situation in the federation does not worsen.