Al Qaeda links pose threat in Europe

Terrorists linked to the al Qaeda network are operating in Bosnia, according to the Croatian member of the country’s tripartite presidency. “Al Qaeda cells are active in Bosnia,” President Dragan Covic said in an interview with The Washington Times. “The Bush administration needs to deal aggressively with this problem. If nothing is done about this, Islamic extremist groups could in the future destabilize the entire region.” Radical Islamic groups in Bosnia are plotting terrorist attacks, said Mr. Covic, who was elected in October and shares power with representatives of the country’s Serbian and Muslim populations. “In Bosnia there are many ‘humanitarian’ agencies that are in reality fronts for terrorist groups from the Middle East,” he said Friday, adding that the most prominent are those linked with al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The radical Islamist cells are funded from countries all over the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Mr. Covic said. “We believe that our security forces, along with U.S. intelligence personnel, have this information and are working to deal with the problem,” he said. Mr. Covic, 47, was in Washington for a two-day trip, in which he met with aids on Capitol Hill. The proliferation of Islamic extremist groups threatens to undermine Bosnia’s fragile peace, he said. He urged the Bush administration to take action to stem the tide of Islamic fundamentalism in the Balkans. “These terrorist cells are very dangerous not only to peace and stability in the Balkans, but to European and American security interests,” Mr. Covic said. Full Story