War crimes suspect held

Nikolic will be tried at the War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague

Nato-led troops have arrested a Bosnian Serb charged with war crimes allegedly committed when he ran a prison camp during the Bosnian war.

A statement from the Stabilisation Force, S-For, said Dragan Nikolic was arrested on Friday in northern Bosnia and flown immediately to the Netherlands.

Robertson: Nato is bringing war criminals to justice

Mr Nikolic has been charged with crimes against humanity, violations of the law on customs of war, and grave breaches of the Geneva conventions.

Mr Nikolic was the first suspect to be indicted by the tribunal in 1994.

He is accused of the murder and systematic torture of a number of Muslim men during the war in Bosnia.

Between June and September 1992 he was the commander of a prison camp at Susica in the north-east of the country.

Bosnian Serb forces held more than 500 people at the camp, depriving them of food and proper living conditions.

'Nowhere to hide'

The S-For statement said no Nato troops in Bosnia were injured during the arrest operation.

Nato Secretary-General George Robertson said: "Nato is determined to play its role in helping to bring indicted war criminals to justice.

"Those indicted war criminals who remain at large have no permanent hiding place."

Last month international troops captured the former Bosnian Serb member of the joint presidency, Momcilo Krajsnik.

BBC Belgrade correspondent Jacky Rowland says the absence of any violent public reaction to recent arrests is encouraging S-For to be more audacious in its pursuit of suspected war criminals.