Mirsad Bektašević

Who is Mirsad Bektašević?

Mirsad Bektašević, alias Maximus, is a Swede of Bosniak descent who in 2005 was arrested in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, charged with planning a terrorist attack against an unnamed target. Bektašević was convicted in 2007 alongside three other men and sentenced to 15 years and 4 months of imprisonment.

Mirsad Bektašević was born to Bosniak parents in the Butmir neighbourhood of Ilidža, a suburb of Sarajevo. His father Adem Bektašević was killed in a traffic accident while Mirsad Bektašević was a young boy. In 1994, Bektašević moved to Sweden together with his mother Nafija Bektašević, whose maiden name is Hamidović, and younger brother because of the Siege of Sarajevo. He grew up in Kungälv north of Gothenburg. Bektašević frequently attended the Bellevue Mosque in central Gothenburg.

On 19 October 2005 Bektašević was arrested as police raided his aunt's apartment in Butmir, Sarajevo. Abdulkadir Cesur, a 20-year-old Turkish citizen, born and raised in Denmark, was also arrested at the time.