Bosnia massacre suspect held

Miroslav Deronjic is accused of involvement in the killing of 60 Muslim civilians in the Bratunac area in May 1992 during an attack on their village.

He was also serving as an official in the town at the time of the nearby Srebrenica massacre three years later.

A number of events are due to take place in Srebrenica this week to mark the seventh anniversary of the massacre.

Village attack

The Nato-led Stabilisation Force (S-For) said in a statement: "Miroslav Deronjic is now being processed for immediate transfer to The Hague."

His wife, Danica, said about 20 men arrived in two vehicles outside their house in Bratunac and arrested her husband "in a brutal manner".

No-one was injured in the operation, but the BBC's Nick Hawton says it is likely to increase tensions in eastern Bosnia.

Mr Deronjic is specifically accused of ordering an attack on the village of Glogova in May 1992 in which 60 Muslim civilians were killed and houses razed to the ground.

Srebrenica had been declared a safe haven when the massacre happened, but Dutch troops failed to protect the people gathered there and up to 8,000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtered.

Primary responsibility for the massacre has been put on Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic, who has so far evaded an arrest warrant issued by the international war crimes tribunal.

Other people are also being sought to appear at the tribunal, which is currently considering the case of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.