Alleged War Criminal Hid in Plain Sight, as Well-Known New-Age Doc
Updated: An alleged war criminal arrested in Serbia yesterday after 13 years on the run disguised himself in the interim by donning a big pair of glasses, growing a long beard and mustache and adopting an assumed name.
However, Radovan Karadzic didn’t exactly keep a low profile: He has been working in Belgrade, where he was a renowned new-age doctor, known for his alternative medicine expertise, reports the London Times.
“Far from hiding in remote areas like other fugitives such as Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, Dr. Karadzic appears to have established himself in the heart of the Serbian capital, and embraced his double life to such an extent that his alias had become a household name in a field where he was said to have accumulated ‘vast’ knowledge,” the newspaper writes.
He also apparently authored several articles in Healthy Life, a Belgrade lifestyle magazine, under his assumed name of Dragan Dabic, and as recently as May apparently gave a public lecture on healthy living.
As discussed in an earlier ABAJournal.com post, the former Bosnian Serb leader, now 63, is accused by a United Nations tribunal of numerous war crimes. According to a former U.S.ambassador, he may be directly or indirectly responsible for as many as 300,000 deaths.
Additional coverage:
Washington Post: “Europe’s Most-Wanted Man Hid in Plain Sight”
Deutsche Welle: “European Leaders Welcome Karadzic Arrest, Congratulate Serbia”
Radio Netherlands: “The rise and fall of Radovan Karadzic”
Agence France-Presse: “Serbia captures fugitive wartime leader Karadzic”
Newsweek: “Capturing Karadžić”
Updated at 3:55 p.m., central time, to add Washington Post coverage.
