BOSNIA - MOSQUE FIRE SPARKS MUTUAL RECRIMINATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SARAJEVO 000002

SIPDIS

EUR/SCE FOR FOOKS, STINCHCOMB, HYLAND; NSC FOR HELGERSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/29/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM BK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA - MOSQUE FIRE SPARKS MUTUAL RECRIMINATIONS
IN SOUTHERN REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Judith Cefkin, for reasons 1.4 (
b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: A mosque in a predominantly-Bosniak village
in Eastern Republika Srpska (RS) caught fire on December 7,
the eve of a major Islamic holiday. Almost immediately,
political and religious leaders, led by SBiH President Haris
Silajdzic and Mostar Mufti Seid Smajkic, politicized the
investigation into the cause of the fire by making unfounded
allegations of arson and terrorism. The official
investigation, conducted by RS police based in Trebinje and
monitored by the European Union Police Mission (EUPM),
concluded that faulty electrical wiring caused the fire.
Islamic Community leaders, however, made clear early on they
would be unlikely to accept any conclusion to the
investigation other than arson, and hired an independent
investigator which eventually reached a conclusion of arson.
We assess that the Trebinje-based RS police investigator's
conclusion of electrical wiring problems is more sound than
that of the Islamic Community's expert. This unfortunate
incident is testament to how quickly in the current political
environment the facts of a case become less important than
the allegations and perceptions surrounding it. End Summary.

Mosque Burns Down on Eid al-Adha
--------------


2. (SBU) On December 7 (the eve of Eid al-Adha, or Kurban
Bayram),a fire destroyed the 200 year-old mosque in
Fazlagica Kula, a village in Gacko municipality in Eastern
Republika Srpska. The mosque, located in the small village
of predominantly Bosniak (Muslim) returnees, had previously
been targeted by arsonists in 2000, and was subsequently
reconstructed. Media reported immediately responsive action
by RS police and prosecutors, who promised a thorough and
speedy investigation. RS Prime Minister Dodik and President
Kuzmanovic both expressed their regrets on December 8,
promising assistance for reconstruction of the mosque. On
December 9, the European Union Police Mission (EUPM) issued a
press announcement that they were monitoring the
investigation and urged the public to refrain from
speculation. And then things started slipping downhill.

Arson or Bad Wiring?
--------------


3. (C) On December 8, Mufti of Mostar Seid Smajkic alleged
arson, calling the incident "a terrorist attack," though he
offered no evidence for this conclusion. On December 10,
Trebinje-based RS police announced to Dnevni List that
investigative work had been completed and all evidence had
been collected for analysis. That same day, unnamed sources
were quoted in EuroBlic (a Belgrade-based daily) saying the
investigation had determined that the fire was caused by poor
and un-insulated electrical wiring done during reconstruction
in 2000. This premature press leak only fueled suspicions
within the Islamic Community (stoked predominantly by
Smajkic) that the result had been pre-determined in an
attempt to cover up arson. On December 15, Dnevni Avaz
alleged, without providing a source, that traces of gasoline
had been found on the burned mosque, which RS investigators
denied.


4. (C) At this point, Trebinje Imam Husein Hodzic (who has
direct oversight of the mosque) joined the fray, saying that
media rumors of electrical wiring problems from the outset
did not "smell good." Also on December 15, RS Minister of
the Interior Stanislav Cadjo made an ill-advised statement
that, while he regretted the incident, he could not "condemn"
the fire, since the cause had not yet been determined. This,
of course, played horribly with Bosniak politicians and the
BiH Islamic Community. Finally, on December 21, Sekula
Micic, the investigator employed by the local RS police,
announced his conclusion that faulty electrical wiring had
caused the fire.

Whose Expert is the Real Expert?
--------------


5. (SBU) Reacting to the announcement, Imam Hodzic vowed to
conduct an independent inquiry, and made the surprise
announcement that the Islamic Community had already employed
an expert investigator to do so. On December 22, local media
covered the report by the unnamed "independent expert" which

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concluded that the fire was intentional, had been set in two
places in the mosque using an accelerant, and was likely
"professional." That same day, the Islamic Community posted
the expert's report on its web site, providing his name,
Narcis Mulabdic, and qualifications as a Sarajevo Court
expert for fires and electrical energy. On December 25, the
Trebinje Prosecutor's Office publicly refuted claims by the
Islamic Community that the RS police investigation had been
"superficial and sloppy." The same day, the Trebinje RS
police spokesman criticized the Islamic Community for
"sending signals to Bosniak returnees that they will not be
safe, when security in the area is good."


6. (SBU) Also on December 25, Slobodna Bosna (a
Sarajevo-based weekly) reported that Mulabdic, the
"independent expert" employed by the Islamic Community, was
in fact father-in-law to Reis Mustafa Ceric's eldest
daughter. (Note: The Reis is the head of Bosnia's Islamic
Community. End Note.) In the same article, Micic noted that
he doubted Mulabdic could make an informed conclusion about
the cause of the fire, since the electrical lines which Micic
determined were the culprit had been removed from the mosque
and were being held in police custody as evidence at a
location Mulabdic had not visited. Micic, however, also
became a target for criticism. On December 27, a spokesman
for the "RS Association of Court Experts" in Banja Luka
derided the professional capabilities of the expert, saying
"Micic is a man who does not even know how to turn on a
computer, and presents himself as an expert on a complex
issue."

Silajdzic Turns of the Heat
--------------


7. (SBU) Early on, Bosniak member of the Tri-Presidency and
President of the Party for BiH (SBiH) Haris Silajdzic began
making hay. On December 9, Silajdzic called for the
perpetrators to be caught and punished, saying "...the mosque
burning on the eve (of Bayram) represents a direct attack on
returns and undoubtedly warns returnees that they are not
welcome." Silajdzic's presumption of arson, and allusion of
indirect culpability by leaders "who try to legalize the
politics of those who were destroying religious objects"
added to the tensions surrounding the event. When the Micic
report was made public, with its conclusion of wiring
problems, PDP President Mladen Ivanic and President of the
Serb Caucus in the RS Council of Peoples Stasa Kosarac both
claimed vindication against Silajdzic's allegations, and
called on him to apologize. Interestingly, SBiH Vice
President Beriz Belkic was quoted as saying he "respected the
conclusions of the competent institutions, which found that
the fire in Fazlagica Kula mosque was not set intentionally."

Official Analysis More Professional
--------------


8. (C) Notwithstanding RS experts' criticism of Micic's
abilities, our assessment is that his analysis (and
conclusion of electrical wiring as the cause of the fire) was
by far the more convincing and professionally-conducted.
(Note: the Legal Attache's Office has reviewed both
investigator's reports. End Note.) Micic began his
investigation within 24 hours of the fire. He noted in his
report that, per Bayram/Eid tradition, lights in the mosque
were kept on all night, including 96 bulbs circling the
minaret, and electrical wiring was wrapped around wooden
rafters. Lab tests for accelerants in the mosque were
negative. Window glass was found to have melted on the
window frame, and shards were not found inside the mosque
(which would have indicated a break-in). With a five-meter
distance between floor and ceiling, Micic assessed it very
unlikely that flames could have reached the mosque's roof,
which was destroyed, had the fire begun on the floor.
Rather, he reported that burning rafters likely led to the
roof's collapse, at which point the carpeted floor ignited.


9. (C) In contrast, the Mulabdic report was largely framed as
a rebuttal to Micic's conclusions. Mulabdic claimed the fire
began on the floor in two locations, and spread from the
floor to the ceiling. Mulabdic's report involved no lab
work, and no testing for accelerants. Rather, his conclusion
was based on visual observations of the fire's speed and
intensity, and began several days later than Micic's
investigation. Contrary to Micic, Mulabdic claimed to have

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found broken glass inside the mosque, indicating intentional
breaking of windows. (The RS report said the glass had
melted, consistent with the manner the fire reportedly
spread.) Finally, as was noted publicly, Mulabdic did not
have access to the electrical wires being held as evidence.

EUPM Monitors but Says Little
--------------


10. (C) Though EUPM announced on December 9 that it would
monitor the investigation, it refrained from making any
public comment about it despite the accusations and
counter-accusations swirling around its conduct until fairly
late. Only on December 23 did EUPM state that it "had
monitored the Trebinje Center for Public Security's
investigation (by Micic),which had the full support of
competent authorities." EUPM also noted that it had no
information about the investigation conducted by Mulabdic,
but invited him to submit his report to the competent
authorities for consideration.

Comment
--------------


11. (C) The pattern in the Fazlagica Kula mosque case is a
sadly familiar one: an unfortunate event devolves into an
ethnic political football. The facts of the case quickly
become less important than the allegations and perceptions
that surround it. EUPM's flat-footed response to attacks on
the credibility of an investigation they monitored represents
a lost opportunity to head off the politicization of the
issue by unscrupulous political and religious leaders and to
build confidence out of an unfortunate incident. Silajdzic's
and Smajkic's early politicization of the issue virtually
ensured an outcome which would be detrimental to inter-ethnic
harmony and returnee confidence. Sadly, the facts of the
case now matter little when weighed against the Bosniak
perception of cover-up by RS authorities. RS MUP could have
done much to strengthen its credibility by inviting SIPA or
the Federation MUP to observe, but claimed they did not do
so, not wanting to appear to "need" outside help or
oversight. However, in Bosnia's climate of ethnic mistrust,
this excuse rings hollow.
ENGLISH