Nusret Imamović (26 September 1971) is a Bosnian Islamist leader who founded the

Salafist The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a fundamentalist revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" is a self-designation, claiming a retur ...

community in Gornja Maoča.

Biography

Imamović was born in Lipovice near

Kalesija Kalesija is a town and municipality located in the Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, east of Tuzla. As of 2013, the town has a popu ...

. He studied at the

Gazi Husrev-begova Medresa ''JU Gazi Husrev-begova medresa, Sarajevo'' (''Javna ustanova Gazi Husrev-begova medresa u Sarajevu''; ) is a high school and college, a madrasa in Arabic, founded on 8 January 1537 CE and built in Sarajevo as Gazi Husrev-beg's second endowment. ...

. During the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

from 1992 to 1995, Imaović was a member of the

Bosnian mujahideen Bosnian mujahideen (), also called ''El Mudžahid'' (, ''mujāhid''), were foreign Muslim volunteers who fought on the Bosniaks, Bosnian Muslim side during the Bosnian War (1992–95). They first arrived in central Bosnia in the latter half of 19 ...

who fought for the

Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (; ; ARBiH), often referred to as Bosnian Army, was the military force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established by the government of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina i ...

. After the end of the war, Imamović went to the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

, where he earned a degree in

Sharia law Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, inta ...

. After his studies, he returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina. There, he became one of the two principal leaders of the Bosnian Salafist group along with

Jusuf Barčić Jusuf Barčić (25 September 196730 March 2007) was a Bosnian Salafist leader and the founder of the Salafist movement in Bosnia and Herzegovina whose leadership shaped the Bosnian Salafist community. Early life Barčić was born in 1967 in ...

. For some time, he lived in

Zavidovići Zavidovići ( sr-cyrl, Завидовићи) is a city and municipality located in Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, located be ...

and in 2006 moved to Gornja Maoča where he established a

community. After Barčić died in a car crash in 2007, Imamović became his successor. He was briefly arrested in 2010 and released. Imamović publicly supported violence multiple times and the global jihad movement. In 2013, he went to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

to fight in the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

against the Syrian government as a member of the

Al-Nusra Front Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra or Jabhat Nusrat Ahl al-Sham, also known as Front for the Conquest of the Levant, and also later known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham was a Salafi-jihadist organization that fought against Ba'athist Syria, Ba'athist ...

. The last reports state that he lives in the northern area of the

Idlib Governorate Idlib Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Idlib'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in northwestern Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay province to the north, Aleppo Governorate to the east, Hama Governorate to the sou ...

in Syria. According to an unnamed Salafi source, Imamović relocated to Syria because he "couldn’t bear the constant pressure and accusations that he was a

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

" back home in Bosnia. The Syrian civil war divided the Salafist community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with one side led by Imammović supporting the Al-Nusra Front, while the other, led by Bilal Bosnić supported the

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

. In 2014, the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

listed Imamović on their list of most-wanted terrorists. Imamović was included in new 15 January 2020 EU consolidated list of persons eligible for financial sanctions based on suspicion of terrorist activities.

Footnotes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Imamovic Nusret 1971 births Living people People from Kalesija Bosnian mujahideen Bosnia and Herzegovina prisoners and detainees Islamic terrorism in Syria Bosnia and Herzegovina Salafis Bosnia and Herzegovina Islamists Al-Nusra Front members Fugitives wanted by the United States Fugitives wanted on terrorism charges Individuals designated as terrorists by the United States government