East Sarajevo Mural: Suspect N. K. Taken Into Custody
East Sarajevo police, with help from colleagues in Sarajevo Canton, found the suspect behind the writing on the Republika Srpska flag, and he was brought to the scene today.
A day after the word “genocidaires” was found written across a Republika Srpska flag mural on a residential building in East Novo Sarajevo, police reported that a suspect had been found. The East Sarajevo Police Administration said a person with the initials N. K. from Sarajevo was taken into custody, and on October 21 he was brought to the scene, where investigative actions were carried out.
What did police say about the suspect?
The East Sarajevo Police Administration, which is part of the Republika Srpska Interior Ministry (MUP), explained how it reached the suspect. According to the statement carried by ATV:
“While working to clarify this criminal offense, police officers learned that N.K. from Sarajevo could be linked to its commission. Through operational and tactical measures to locate and find the person, and through cooperation between police forces with members of the Sarajevo Canton Interior Ministry, the suspect was found and taken into custody.”
East Sarajevo police did not work alone: East Sarajevo is in Republika Srpska and Sarajevo Canton is in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, so the suspect was found through cooperation between administrations from two entities. ATV unofficially gives the suspect’s full name and claims he was arrested by Sarajevo Canton police. The statement mentions only initials, so only initials are used here. It also does not say how old the suspect is or exactly when he was taken into custody.
When was the damage reported?
Around 8:06 a.m. on Tuesday, October 20, East Novo Sarajevo Police Station received a report that an unknown person had damaged a mural in the shape of the Republika Srpska flag. The flag is a red, blue and white tricolor, and the mural is on a residential building on Spasovdanska Street. An offensive word, “genocidaires”, was written across the tricolor. We reported on that writing yesterday, when it was still unknown who had left it.
What happens next in the proceedings?
The act has been classified as inciting national, racial and religious hatred, discord and intolerance. Once the case is documented, police will file a criminal report against the suspect, N. K., with the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Guilt has not been established, and the suspect is only alleged to have committed the act.
Judging by the statements, the investigation took just two days from the report to bringing the suspect to the scene, counting from Tuesday to Wednesday: the damage was reported on Tuesday morning, and investigative actions at the scene were carried out on Wednesday, October 21.
