The action was part of a search of the Bosnian Serb stronghold of Pale, about 10 miles east of Sarajevo, as peacekeepers hunted for Karadzic and former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic, Brock said. Mladic, along with Karadzic, are the top two fugitives sought for trial by the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
The Pale search began early Saturday after the peacekeeping force received a tip that Karadzic was there. Karadzic's wife, Ljiljana, was present and "cooperative and accompanied the soldiers while in the house," Brock said, adding that the troops also looked for documentation that could lead them to Karadzic.
Peacekeepers detained a person outside a hotel who may be linked to Karadzic, Brock said. He declined to identify the person, but several witnesses said the detainee is Bata Tesic, a Karadzic supporter and former member of Bosnian Serb special police.
Asked about the importance of the capture, Captain David Sullivan, a NATO spokesman, said "all detainments are key in the hunt for this individual and his known supporters."
A Pale police official speaking on condition of anonymity said local businessman Dragan Kremenovic also was detained by peacekeepers for questioning yesterday. The official would not give more details. Brock confirmed that a second person was detained but declined to elaborate.
About 80 peacekeepers in 30 vehicles, along with local police, were deployed throughout Pale yesterday. Troops acting on a tip that Karadzic might have been injured before the raid searched all medical facilities in Pale, set up checkpoints, and searched vehicles. The checkpoints were expected to remain until today.
The troops also searched the Orthodox church in Pale during the night.
Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb wartime leader, and Mladic, his military commander, have been indicted for genocide and war crimes, including the 1995 slaughter of as many as 8,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica.
