Serbia: 2009 Country Reports on Terrorism

UNCLAS BELGRADE 001516 C O R R E C T E D C O P Y - ADDED IN PARAGRAPHS 1 THROUGH 4 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/SCE (P. PETERSON),S/CT (R. SHORE),AND NCTC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER ASEC PREL SR SUBJECT: Serbia: 2009 Country Reports on Terrorism REF: STATE 109980 ¶1. Per reftel, the following is Embassy Belgrade??????s submission for the 2009 Serbia Country Report on Terrorism. ¶2. Serbia's law enforcement and security agencies, particularly the Customs Administration, Criminal Police, Border Police, Security Information Agency, and other security services continued to improve intra-governmental cooperation. Serbia had two police organizations that operated as counterterrorism tactical response units, the Special Antiterrorist Unit (SAJ) and the Counterterrorist Unit (PTJ). The Criminal Investigative Unit for Counterterrorist Investigation within the Interior Ministry??????s Criminal Investigation Directorate conducts terrorism-related investigations. ¶3. The Parliament passed new legislation that will aid in countering terrorism. Parliament passed on March 19 and amended on September 3 the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism, which is compliant with international standards. The law applies all provisions of the previous Anti-Money Laundering Law to terrorist financing and expands the entities required to collect information and file currency transaction reports. It requires reporting of transactions suspected to be terrorist financing and creates mechanisms for freezing, seizing, and confiscating suspected terrorist assets. On December 11, the Parliament passed a law specifying that non-biometric passports will not be valid after December 31, 2010. The Parliament passed the National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy on October 26. The strategies define terrorism and note that separatism and religious extremism are security risks. ¶4. The trial of Islamic fundamentalists charged with conspiracy to commit unconstitutional activity, terrorism, illegal possession of firearms, and attempted murder concluded on July 5. The Special Court for Organized Crime and War Crimes convicted 12 individuals and acquitted 2 others. Authorities found evidence that the group was planning attacks on infrastructure in the city of Novi Pazar, on a local religious leader, and on several sites in Belgrade, including the U.S. Embassy. In a follow-up trial, an additional four individuals were convicted on September 8 of planning attacks on police in Novi Pazar and storing large quantities of weapons and ammunition. ¶5. Bilateral cooperation continued to improve, and the United States provided counterterrorism training and assistance to the Serbian government. In February, the Department of Justice International Criminal Investigative Assistance Training Program (ICITAP) conducted a counterterrorism workshop for Serbian police officers in Serbia. The workshop covered trends in international terrorism, the formation of a joint terrorist task force, investigative techniques, vulnerability assessments, crime scene management, case studies, and practical exercise problems. ICITAP also conducted an informant development course for Serbian counterterrorism and organized crime investigators in May. Also in May, ICITAP held an anti-corruption workshop bringing together for the first time Serbian and Montenegrin police and prosecutors to discuss terrorism and corruption. In September, ICITAP and the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team provided joint training to a SAJ-sponsored counterterrorism regional training initiative. This training involved specialized counterterrorism units from Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Croatia, Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, and Montenegro. In October, a joint Serbian and ICITAP Organized Crime Certification workshop addressed the connection between narcoterrorism and organized crime. ¶6. The Export Control and Border Security Program (EXBS) provided weapons of mass destruction detection equipment and training, as well as training in detecting illicit radioactive materials and chemical trafficking, to the Border Police, Customs, and prosecutorial and licensing authority agencies throughout the year. In conjunction with the Departments of Homeland Security and Energy, EXBS provided other courses in undercover operations, export control, weapons of mass destruction and terrorism emergency incident management, and dual use commodity identification to Border Police, Customs, and police investigative, prosecutorial, and licensing authority agencies. EXBS also provided approximately $300,000 in inspection, surveillance, and detection equipment. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency provided courses in crisis management, weapons of mass destruction response, and weapons of mass destruction detection and identification. ¶7. Embassy Belgrade point of contact is Bianca Menendez, menendezbe@state.gov. BRUSH