Serbia arrests wartime military chief Mladic

Serbia on Thursday arrested Europe's most wanted man, former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic, ending a 16-year manhunt for the general accused of masterminding the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.President Boris Tadic said the 69-year-old had been detained by Serbian security forces, predicted that the capture would foster reconciliation within the Balkans. "Today, early in the morning, we arrested Ratko Mladic," Tadic told reporters.

Former military chief Ratko Mladic appeared in court, hours after his arrest in Serbia ended a 16-year manhunt for the general accused of masterminding the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.Europe's most-wanted man was arrested in the early hours of Thursday in a village in northern Serbia, but there were immediately questions over whether the 69-year-old Bosnian Serb was fit to stand trial after he claimed to be ill."Today, early in the morning, we arrested Ratko Mladic," Serbian President Boris Tadic announced.

1400 GMT: Serbia's deputy war crimes prosecutor Bruno Vekaric says that it could take up to seven days to complete the procedure to extradite Ratko Mladic to the UN court in The Hague, my colleagues report from Belgrade.Serbia announced the arrest of former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic on Thursday, ending a 16-year manhunt for the general accused of masterminding the Srebrenica massacre, Europe's worst since World War II.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Former Bosnian Serb army commander Gen. Ratko Mladic slammed the United Nations’ Yugoslav war crimes tribunal Tuesday as a “satanic court” and refused to testify as a defence witness for his former political master, Radovan Karadzic. A courtroom reunion of the two alleged chief architects of Serb atrocities during Bosnia’s 1992-95 war lasted only about an hour as Mladic repeatedly told judges he would not answer former Bosnian Serb President Karadzic’s questions, citing ill health and an unwillingness to risk incriminating himself.

Serbia has arrested Europe's most wanted man Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic, Serbian president Boris Tadic told a press conference on Thursday.

Bosnian Serb ex-army chief Ratko Mladic is fit to face trial at a UN war crimes court, a judge has ruled, as Serbia promised to investigate who helped him stay at large for so long.The ruling, in a Serbian court, came after Mladic's son said that the man accused of masterminding the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and other atrocities was too sick to be transferred for trial at the UN-backed court in The Hague."It has been established that Ratko Mladic's health condition makes him fit to stand trial," Judge Maja Kovacevic told reporters outside Serbia's special war crimes court.

Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic insists he was not responsible for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, his son said, as thousands protested in Belgrade against the ex-army chief's arrest.Minor skirmishes broke out after up to 10,000 people peacefully protested in central Belgrade, with small gangs of mostly young demonstrators throwing stones and flares at riot police.But police quickly said they had the situation under control.Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told Serbian state television that 111 people -- 37 of them minors -- were detained after the riots.

Ratko Mladic, Europe's most wanted war crimes fugitive, has been arrested in Serbia, Serbian President Boris Tadic said.