Federal prosecutors in Mobile are asking a judge to cancel an extradition hearing and release a man accused of committing war crimes in Bosnia in 1992 — a reversal from the government’s own position six months ago.
Hamdija Alukić was captured in Mobile County and taken into custody in March after the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina requested his extradition.
The Allegations
Alukić, who was living in Semmes at the time of his arrest, was accused of involvement in two deadly attacks on behalf of a Bosnian Muslim paramilitary group during the Bosnian War.
The war, which followed the breakup of Yugoslavia, ran from 1992 to 1995 and produced prosecutions that continue more than three decades later — in international tribunals, in Bosnian courts, and through extradition requests to countries where suspects later settled.
The Government’s Motion
U.S. Attorney Sean Costello filed a motion Thursday stating that his office has received extensive additional information requiring review.
“The United States of America, by and through its counsel of record, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama and the Assistant United States Attorney George F. May, hereby move to hold briefing in abeyance, cancel the scheduled extradition hearing, and release the fugitive, Hamdija ALUKIĆ, from detention, subject to appropriate release conditions,” the filing states.
The motion asks the court to do three things: pause the written briefing, cancel the hearing, and release Alukić under conditions.
Why This Is Unusual
In extradition proceedings, the U.S. government acts on behalf of the requesting country. The Justice Department does not independently prosecute the underlying offense; it presents the foreign government’s request and argues that the legal requirements for surrender are met.
Detention is the norm in such cases, because extradition defendants are treated as flight risks by default.
For the prosecuting office to ask that its own case be paused and the subject released is a significant step. The stated reason — extensive additional information that needs to be reviewed — indicates something material arrived after the March arrest.
The filing does not describe what that information is.
Not a Dismissal
The motion seeks to hold briefing “in abeyance,” not to end the case. Abeyance suspends proceedings while leaving them in place, which means the extradition request remains pending and the hearing could be rescheduled.
Release “subject to appropriate release conditions” likewise contemplates supervision rather than a clean exit.
What Happens Next
A status conference is set for Friday. Whether the judge grants the motion, and on what conditions, will be the first indication of where the case is headed.