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PM doubts validity of terrorism charges against Serbians

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Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday he has doubts about the merit of the terrorism accusations made against Bratislav Dikic and others arrested in Montenegro.
“Mr. Dikic is presenting his positions against the Serbian government every day, but I wish to see and hear real and serious data about him planning a terrorist act,” the Serbian prime minister told reporters.

Vucic added that he “personally” did not believe the accusations were true – “taking into account other intelligence data obtained by Serbian services” that he said he has at his disposal.

“I wish that the arrest (in Montenegro) of a few people from Zubun Potok (a town in Kosovo) was not based on statements made by Albanian police commander Selimaj, and I’m afraid we have evidence that it has been – then I don’t think that’s a serious reason,” Vucic said.

He added that “the company Dikic was in does not point to terrorist activities, either.”

According to Vucic, many of those arrested have asked, via their lawyers, for the state of Serbia to intervene on their behalf. For this reason, Belgrade has instructed embassy officials in Podgorica to visit those detained in jail.

B92 learned unofficially on Sunday that a “an armed group of 15 people, among them former Serbian Gendarmerie commander Bratislav Dikic, was located and arrested” the previous night in the vicinity of Podgorica.

The Special State Prosecution of Montenegro later announced that 20 Serbian citizens were detained on suspicion of committing two criminal acts – “creation of a criminal organization and terrorism.”

“It is also suspected that the criminal organization’s plan was to deprive Montenegrin prime minister (Milo Djukanovic) of his liberty,” said a statement.

Also on Sunday, Montenegrin Interior Minister Goran Danilovic said he had only unofficial information that 20 persons from Serbia, including Dikic had been arrested, and added that he was “circumvented with this information.” However, according to Danilovic, “no political subject from Montenegro was behind this.”

Foreign media – including French and U.S. agencies AFP and AP – have reported about the case in detail, saying that a group of Serbian citizens was arrested ahead of the parliamentary election in Montenegro, and reporting about the West and Russia competing for influence in the Balkan country.

Source: B92

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