Karadzic Hid In Plain Sight With False Identity
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Officials say the wartime leader of the Bosnian Serbs, Radovan Karadzic, grew a long, white beard to conceal his identity and even managed to openly practice alternative medicine while in hiding.
He was arrested by Serbian security forces Monday night in a Belgrade suburb after a decade on the run. Prosecutors say a judge has ordered his transfer to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, to face genocide charges.
Karadzic has three days to appeal the ruling. His lawyer says he will launch the process to fight extradition on the last day, Friday, to thwart authorities’ wishes for his immediate transfer.
Karadzic, a psychiatrist, is accused of masterminding the deadly wartime siege of Sarajevo and the executions of up to 8,000 Muslims during Bosnia’s 1992-95 war. He had topped the tribunal’s most-wanted list for years.
