Alexander Zvtkovic is suspected of involvement in a 1995 massacre during which thousands of Muslims were murdered in eastern Bosnia.
By ASSOCIATED PRESSAleksander Cvetkovic Bosnia 311(photo credit: Associated Press)
An Israeli judge has cleared the way for Israeli prosecutors to try to extradite a former Bosnian Serb soldier back to his homeland to face genocide charges.A Jerusalem judge on Wednesday ordered Aleksander Cvetkovic to remain in jail during extradition proceedings. The 42-year-old Cvetkovic covered his face with his hands as he entered the courtroom for the hearing.Cvetkovic was arrested on Tuesday following a Bosnian extradition request accusing him of participating in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, where more than 8,000 Muslim men were killed.His attorney says he "stands on his innocence."Bosnia says he was part of a firing squad that executed between 1,000 and 1,200 Bosnian Muslims at the Branjevo Farm in July 1995. The request for his extradition was submitted by the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina on August 29, 2010.Cvetkovic immigrated to Israel with his wife and children in 2006 and received Israeli citizenship because his wife is Jewish. He was living in Carmiel and worked in a factory and in construction before his arrest. Dan Izenberg contributed to this report.
