The car of the senior official of the Union for a Better Future (SBB) political party, Adisa Omerbegovic-Arapovic, was set ablaze overnight, the Ministry of Interior of the Sarajevo Canton confirmed to N1 on Tuesday.

“According to some information, the car was set ablaze at about 04:20 a.m. and it took firefighters nearly an hour to stop the fire, which practically completely destroyed the car,” the party said, calling it a “grave crime”.  

Omerbegovic-Arapovic’s husband, Adis Arapovic, is also a top SBB member.  

“Considering that this car is used by the married couple Arapovic, and Adis Arapovic is the head of the SBB campaign headquarters, this party believes that this was an act of political intimidation,” the SBB party said in a press release.  

The party also called upon “international institutions to get engaged and help ensure the election campaign passes without an atmosphere of fear, grave physical crimes and terrorist messages that are coming from one centre which is not difficult to reveal if the state professionally does its job.”

Following the event, Omerbegovic – Arapovic and her husband held a press conference at the scene where the car was set ablaze saying it was an attack on everyone who dares to think differently from those who set her car on fire.

“I have personally felt the actions of the state mafia. My husband and I are intellectuals who are fighting against it with our ideas and different opinions. We were targeted by those who want to remain in power for the rest of their lives,” she said.

She said she believes this was an “assassination attempt.”

“This was an assassination attempt, I don’t know how else to call it. The goal of this act was to scare us, but they won’t succeed. This was an attack on all the principles the SBB stands for,” SBB’s senior official said. “any other campaign program would make no sense until we remove from office the regime ruling through fear.”

SBB’s campaign manager Adis Arapovic asked the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina not to be afraid “of the regime mafia” in the next 20 days when the general election will be held.

“This was a message to us to give up, but they are gravely mistaken. Our fight won't stop. We have 20 days left and my message to the citizens is not to be afraid of the regime mafia. We will be even stronger and more powerful after this,” the campaign manager said.

Bosnia's general election will be held on October 7.