Ex-Officer Suspected of Aiding Mladic in Custody
A former security chief of wartime Bosnian Serb army commander Gen. Ratko Mladic has been arrested on suspicion of helping his old boss escape arrest on war crimes charges, Serbian media reported Saturday.
Bosnian Serb Col. Jovo Djogo was held on suspicion that he helped to hide Mladic, who is charged with two counts of genocide in the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, Beta news agency quoted sources as saying.
The daily newspaper Politika and the independent Radio B92 also reported the arrest. They said Djogo was seized two days ago in Belgrade in an operation in the hunt for Mladic.
Serbian war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic told Radio Free Europe that Djogo had been remanded into custody for 30 days.
Mladic has been on the run since 2001. Serb media often report that Mladic’s arrest is imminent, to no effect. His arrest or surrender is key to Serbia’s hopes of joining the European Union and NATO.
Belgrade has turned over a dozen lesser suspects to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague in the last year.
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