Ismet "Ćelo" Bajramović (26 April 1966 – 17 December 2008) was a Bosnian soldier and reputed

organized crime Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...

figure from

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

. During the

war in Bosnia and Herzegovina The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incidents, the war is commonly seen as ha ...

and specifically the

siege of Sarajevo The siege of Sarajevo () was a prolonged military blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the ethnically charged Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by Serbian forces of the Yugoslav People's Arm ...

, Bajramović was one of the gangsters who played a key role in the defense of the city in the early days of the war.Optužnica
" (18 July 2005).Kantonalno Tužilaštvo Kantona Sarajevo.

Biography

Bajramović was born in

. Prior to the war he was a petty criminal who spent time in prison. After his release, Ćelo rose to become the most powerful gangster in Sarajevo and was dubbed the "Godfather of Sarajevo" by

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

in 1993. When the war began, criminal groups were among the first to resist the

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...

besieging

. Ćelo was put in charge of the Dobrinja neighborhood. At the same time, he was head of the military police of Sarajevo and responsible for the central prison. While commanding military police actions, he also engaged in smuggling, racketeering and cross-frontline trading. In the fall of 1993 Bajramović was shot near the heart by a

sniper A sniper is a military or paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with telescopic si ...

. He was evacuated from the city and returned in 1997. During the war he was profiled by ''

'' and '' Vanity Fair'' magazine. He also appeared in an episode of the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

program '' Frontline'' on the story of

Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo ''Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo'' is an international documentary about the deaths of Admira Ismić (born May 13, 1968) and Boško Brkić (Cyrillic: Бошко Бркић; born August 11, 1968). The couple were natives of Bosnia and Herzegovina liv ...

which aired in 1994. In the post-war years, Bajramović was often arrested on various charges; in April 2000, he was arrested for murder and spent four years in prison until his conviction was overturned. Meanwhile, Bajramović's health began to decline as a result of the bullet wound to the heart. He suffered a

tachycardia Tachycardia, also called tachyarrhythmia, is a heart rate that exceeds the normal resting rate. In general, a resting heart rate over 100 beats per minute is accepted as tachycardia in adults. Heart rates above the resting rate may be normal ...

and was frequently hospitalized as a result. On 17 December 2008, Bajramović committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

by shooting himself in the

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

in his

home. His declining health, especially after his sister had died a month earlier, was cited as the motive for the suicide, according to his friends and lawyer.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bajramovic, Ismet 1966 births 2008 suicides 2008 deaths Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Muslims Military personnel from Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina gangsters Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina soldiers Bosnia and Herzegovina shooting survivors Suicides by firearm in Bosnia and Herzegovina Crime in Sarajevo Military personnel who died by suicide