ST. LOUIS – Bosnian leaders in St. Louis say the arrest of three local residents on federal charges of sending money and military equipment to militant groups in Syria and Iraq tarnishes a community whose members have worked tirelessly to embrace their adopted homeland.
Ramiz and Sedina Hodzic are among six Bosnian immigrants from Missouri, Illinois and New York charged with conspiring to provide material support to groups the U.S. deems terrorist organizations, including Islamic State and Nusra Front, an al-Qaida-affiliated rebel group.
The couple is to be arraigned Wednesday in U.S. District Court, where prosecutors will oppose their release, pending trial.
Their arrests provoked sadness and disappointment in the St. Louis area, which is home to an estimated 70,000 Bosnians — the largest such settlement outside the country now known as Bosnia-Herzegovina.
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