Bajro Ikanović (born 8 November 1976) is a Bosnian Islamist, terrorist, and senior commander in the

Islamic State An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

in Syria and Iraq. Ikanović was born in Hrnčići,

Bratunac Bratunac ( sr-cyrl, Братунац) is a town and municipality located in easternmost part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013 census, it has a population of 20,340 inhabitants, while the town of Bratunac has a population of 8,359 inhabitants ...

, eastern

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. Ikanović had previously been sentenced to eight years for terrorism offenses linked to the Bektašević case on 10 January 2007, which was reduced to four years on appeal on 21 May 2007. He was released from prison in 2011. According to the prosecution, "

Mirsad Bektašević Mirsad Bektašević (born 30 July 1987), alias Maximus, is a Swedish citizen born in Montenegro, Yugoslavia who in 2005 was arrested in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, charged with planning a terrorist attack against an unnamed target. Bektaše ...

and Abdulkadir Cesur adthe intention of committing a terrorist act on the territory of BiH or some other European country…the aim of this attach icwas to force the Bosnian government or government of another state to withdraw their forces from Iraq and Afghanistan." Ikanović later took part in the

's operations. He was quoted in 2013 as saying that, by allowing jihad volunteers to leave

the Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, "your intelligence agencies made a mistake thinking that they would be rid of us, however, the problem for them will be the return of individuals trained for war.” According to the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

, Ikanovic has held various leadership positions within the Islamic State in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

and Syria over the past several years, including on the Shura Council in 2014. In December 2013,

Abu Omar al-Shishani Tarkhan Tayumurazovich Batirashvili ( ka, თარხან ბათირაშვილი; 11 January 1986 – 10 July 2016), known by his '' nom de guerre'' Abu Omar al-Shishani ( ar, أَبُو عُمَرَ ٱلشِّيشَانِيِّ, ...

promoted Ikanović to head of the largest military training camp in northern Syria. The

State Investigation and Protection Agency The State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) ( Bosnian: ''Državna agencija za istrage i zaštitu, SIPA'') is the official state police agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. SIPA is under the direct administration of the Ministry of Securit ...

opened an investigation against him on 10 June 2014 and the Prosecutor's Office submitted a report on the crime committed and the perpetrator due to the suspicion of having committed a criminal offense under Article 202d. CC BiH (Organizing and belonging to a terrorist group). He was reported in one source to have died in Syria back in March 2016. In May 2016, Bosnian media reported different 'unconfirmed information' by the Bosnian

that he had been killed in Iraq instead.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ikanovic, Bajro People from Bratunac Bosnia and Herzegovina Islamists Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant members 1976 births Possibly living people