U.S. Embassy in Bosnia Closes for Security

The U.S. and British embassies closed Wednesday in Bosnia because of a “credible security threat,” according to statements issued by both missions.

The American Embassy in Sarajevo was closed, as were U.S. government offices in the smaller cities of Banja Luka and Mostar. Bosnian offices of the U.S. Agency for International Development also were shut down. Emergency services remained available to American citizens.

It was the first time in the past few years that the full embassy was closed for security reasons, according to U.S. officials.

“This step was taken due to a credible security threat to official U.S. government facilities and personnel in Bosnia-Herzegovina,” said a State Department official in Washington who requested anonymity.

While embassies close routinely because of security threats, the number of U.S. missions that have been shut down on a given day has increased since the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, according to State Department statistics. For instance, eight embassies were closed Wednesday for security reasons, while on Sept. 8 just three facilities were closed.

The British Embassy in Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital, also was closed Wednesday, its press officer said. “The threats appear to be connected with the current military operation in Afghanistan,” said an embassy official, who declined to be named.

There was a heavy police presence in downtown Sarajevo early Wednesday, with officers stationed at every intersection in some areas, according to passersby.

Bosnia is made up of the Muslim-Croat Federation and Republika Srpska, a Serbian entity.

The Muslim-Croat Federation has drawn intense interest among international intelligence agencies because the area appears to have been used as a base for Islamic terrorists operating in Europe. In recent years, several of the figures linked to attacks on U.S. targets or to plots to sabotage American installations have spent time in Bosnia, according to confidential U.S. government reports.

During a 1992-95 war that was triggered by Bosnia’s decision to break away from the former Yugoslav federation, hundreds of foreign fighters from Islamic countries came to help the region’s Muslims. At least some obtained Bosnian passports.

Bosnian police have detained several people since the Sept. 11 attacks for suspected links to terrorism, some of whom have been released. Those who are still being held have not been publicly connected to Saudi militant Osama bin Laden, suspected by the Bush administration in the assaults on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

It is unclear if the Muslim-Croat Federation is still being used by terrorists. However, Bosnia is seen as a potential target for attacks, with about 3,000 U.S. soldiers stationed in the country as part of peacekeeping efforts and a number of international organizations in place.

The peacekeepers are not taking additional security measures in light of the most recent threat, said Capt. Daryl Morrell, a Canadian spokesman for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization-led force. Security already had been beefed up after the Sept. 11 attacks, Morrell said. All vehicles entering installations are being searched, and soldiers walking on the streets are armed.