Montenegro Opens Probes into ISIS Fighters, Recruiters

Montenegro's Special Prosecution for Organised Crime has begun probes of several Montenegrin citizens who reportedly fought in the Middle East or financed the sending of fighters to conflict zone, BIRN has learned.

According to the government documents, which BIRN has seen, and sources from the prosecution, the special prosecutor is conducting preliminary investigations into three new cases.

The same sources said the Montenegrin authorities are probing at least six alleged fighters and recruiters.

BIRN contacted the special prosecutor for organised crime but did not receive a response by the time of publication. 

In January, the Higher Court in Podgorica for the first time convicted a Montenegrin citizen of having fought in Syria alongside ISIS.

Hamid Beharovic, 39, from the coastal town of Ulcinj, was found guilty of having fought for ISIS between April 2015 and May 2016, and sentenced to six months in jail.

According to the latest Europen Commission report on Montenegro, released last month, there is evidence of approximately 23 of the country's nationals, including five women and three children, departing for the conflict zone in Syria since it started.

Out of that number, six have reportedly died, while 10 returned to Montenegro.

The recent EU progress report on Serbia said the Belgrade authorities have evidence of around 49 Serbian citizens becoming foreign terrorist fighters, and ten returning from the conflict zone.

The EU's progress report on Bosnia and Herzegovina meanwhile quoted the state's official data that estimates that 181 men, 61 women and 81 children with Bosnian citizenship are believed to have travelled to Syria and Iraq from Bosnia and Herzegovina and from the diaspora between 2012 and 2016...