RADOVAN KARADZIC, the former Bosnian Serb leader accused of war crimes and genocide during Bosnia's 1992-5 war, was arrested last night after more than a decade on the run. DANIEL McLAUGHLINreports
Mr Karadzic, who is still regarded as a hero by many nationalist Serbs, was captured at an undisclosed location "in an action by the Serbian security services" according to the office of Serb president Boris Tadic.
"Karadzic was brought to the investigative judge of the War Crimes Court in Belgrade, in accordance with the law on co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia," Mr Tadic's office said in a statement.
Mr Karadzic's whereabouts have been a mystery for most of his time on the run, with occasional rumours suggesting he had sought refuge in the remote villages and Serb Orthodox monasteries that stud the high mountains where Bosnia meets his native Montenegro.
International forces in Bosnia periodically raided the homes of his friends and relatives, but there was no suggestion that the noose was tightening around him, despite insistences from Mr Tadic and his allies that they were doing all they could to catch him.
His arrest will boost the claims of the Serb government to be allowed to move closer to European Union membership.
"I was informed by our colleagues in Belgrade about the successful operation which resulted in the arrest of Radovan Karadzic," said Serge Brammertz, chief prosecutor at the United Nations war crimes court at The Hague.
"On behalf of the Office of the Prosecutor, I would like to congratulate the Serbian authorities, especially the National Security Council, Serbia's Action Team in charge of tracking fugitives and the Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor, on achieving this milestone in co-operation with the [ UN court]. The date of Radovan Karadzic's transfer into the tribunal's custody will be determined in due course," Mr Brammertz added.
The arrest leaves two Serb war crimes suspects on the run: former Croatian Serb leader Goran Hadzic and Mr Karadzic's military henchman and the man who allegedly oversaw the Srebrenica massacre - General Ratko Mladic.