Radical Islamic video puts police on high alert

Terror threats are at the forefront for many citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) as the trial of Mevlid Jasarevic, charged for the October 28th 2011, attack on the US Embassy in Sarajevo, continues.

An August 19th video posted by the website balkanskiemirat showing armed and bearded men in uniform celebrating Ramadan Bayram, prompted some to speculate that the video was recorded in the forest near the city of Travnik, in Central Bosnia, even as a spokesman for the website claims that the video was not recorded there.

Even though rumors of Wahhabi radical groups preparing to wage terror attacks on civilians, foreign embassies and troops seem to surface in the media every few months, authorities are taking the potential threat seriously and are taking action to root out any extremist threats and keep people safe.

Travnik police went into the forest to attempt to identify the place where video was allegedly recorded, but they found nothing.

"We cannot confirm that individuals in this movie are members or close to Wahhabi movement," police spokesman Sefir Barucija said. "In the last several months, as we know, there was no gathering of members of radical movements in this area."

Nonetheless, officials are taking the potential threat seriously and are constantly looking for ways to improve regional security.

BiH Security Minister Sadik Ahmetovic said that several extremist individuals and groups are known to exist in the region, not just among Muslims, but also in all other ethnic groups.

"It is not something new for us or any other country in the region," he told SETimes. "The question is: How many police units are in the country ready to prevent terrorist attacks and other activities of these groups?"

The first line of defense, in this case, is to establish a strong police presence in the area, Ahmetovic said. He stressed that BiH has a good system of security for now, but that it must be improved because it is divided between entities and state. (...)