Mevlid Jasarevic, a citizen of Serbia, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia on charges of attempted murder and other violations in connection with his alleged machine gun attack on the US Embassy in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on October 28, 2011, the US Department of Justice has announced on its website.
The 10-count indictment, which was issued on Tuesday, charges Jasarevic with crimes including attempted murder of US officers or employees, assault with a deadly weapon, and destruction of property.
Earlier this week, prosecutors in Bosnia and Herzegovina charged Jasarevic with committing an act of terrorism as a member of the radical Islamic community of Wahhabis. If found guilty, he faces a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
The Bosnian State Prosecutor's Office had no comment on the decision by the US justice authorities to indict Jasarevic.
The US Embassy in Sarajevo told the media that the latest indictment was the result of close cooperation with the Bosnian authorities.
We fully support the decision of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Prosecutor's Office to issue an indictment against those involved in the attack. The US indictment follows the one in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is the result of close cooperation between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina. We continue cooperating with the Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities in all aspects of this case and are fully confident that the Bosnia and Herzegovina Prosecutor's Office will bring those responsible to justice and that the Bosnia and Herzegovina State Court will ensure them a fair trial, the US Embassy said in a statement.
The US Justice Department also said that the US had closely cooperated with the Bosnian authorities in their investigation of the US Embassy attack. The United States "strongly supports their decision to charge and prosecute those allegedly involved. The United States will continue to cooperate fully with authorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina to bring to justice those involved," it said in a statement.
The attempted murder charges against Jasarevic, as well as the charges of assaulting US officers and employees with a deadly weapon, and destruction of property each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years. Each charge of using a firearm during a crime of violence carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years for use of a machinegun. The charge of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, according to the statement.
Bosnia and Herzegovina also charged Bosnian citizens Emrah Fojnica and Munib Ahmetspahic with complicity in the terrorist attack. They, too, are members of the Wahhabi community in Gornja Maoca near the northeastern city of Brcko, but the two are not mentioned in the US indictment.
