Two Hungarians arrested in Bosnia and Herzegovina on suspicion of espionage: Special devices found in their possession

Two Hungarian citizens were arrested in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday on suspicion of espionage, several news outlets, including Klix and the Croatian Index, have confirmed. The incident took place in the eastern Bosnian town of Banovići, near Tuzla, after a local resident reported two strangers behaving suspiciously. 

According to the Ministry of the Interior of the Tuzla Canton, authorities identified the two individuals on 22 October as 73-year-old B. G. and 63-year-old G. J., who claimed to have entered the country two days earlier, on 20 October.

Shortly afterwards, the suspects were handed over to the local office of the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs under Bosnia’s Ministry of Security. The Intelligence and Security Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (OSA) also joined the investigation, Klix reported. Authorities are currently examining whether the men were legally residing in the country and whether they were indeed engaged in espionage activities.

Former Hungarian counterintelligence officer among the suspects

According to reports from Bosnian and Croatian media, one of the detained men, 73-year-old G. B., had previously served as a professional soldier in the Hungarian People’s Army between 1975 and 1979, Index wrote, citing unconfirmed information from Klix. He later worked in the Ministry of the Interior’s military counter-intelligence and counter-espionage departments (BM III/IV and BM III/II). After the fall of communism, he held several positions in the Information Office of the Republic of Hungary before later becoming a security consultant and private investigator. His own agency specialises in private investigations and security consulting.