Vucic rejects Bosnia's defense minister's claims over armed escort during Bugojno visit

Speaking during a visit to Mrkonjic Grad in Bosnia's Republika Srpska entity, Vucic said the armed personnel seen during his visit were members of the Republika Srpska Interior Ministry's Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (SAJ), not security officers from Serbia.

"There wasn't a single person from Serbia," Vucic said. "Those on the quad bikes were members of the Republika Srpska Interior Ministry. Everything he wrote was a lie. He couldn't accept that I came to Bugojno, which is his but also my hometown, without asking anyone for permission. I will never ask anyone for permission to come to my own birthplace."

Vucic, who was born in Bugojno before his family moved to Serbia during the breakup of Yugoslavia, said he had no reason to seek approval to visit the town.

He also launched a personal attack on Helez, referring to the minister's previous public accusations against him.

"Why don't you arrest me, you liar?" Vucic said. "You've been lying for two years. I came to you – why didn't you arrest me? You claimed I had members of Serbia's Cobras military police unit with me. Those were members of the Republika Srpska SAJ, and I hosted them in the yard of my family home."

Vucic went on to claim that he has been the target of a long-running political campaign orchestrated by foreign centres of power and regional political actors seeking to undermine him.

"They still haven't managed to defeat me. Because of my knowledge, experience and love for my people, none of their deceptions can succeed. I can read all of their moves because I read books, because I have experience and because I have held more meetings with world and European leaders than anyone else," he said.

The exchange follows a dispute triggered by Vucic's visit to Bugojno, where Helez said local residents had reported suspicious armed men travelling on quad bikes and in off-road vehicles.

According to Helez, officers from the Central Bosnia Canton Interior Ministry's Special Police Unit responded after receiving the reports. He said the armed men were not listed as part of the officially announced security detail and claimed they fled the area after spotting police officers.

"The suspicious men ran away as soon as they saw the special police," Helez said earlier, adding that "no one in Bosnia and Herzegovina can bypass security procedures."

The disagreement has further heightened political tensions between officials in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina following Vucic's high-profile visit to his birthplace.