KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — An immigrant who was caught up in the ethnic violence during the Bosnian War has been arrested near Kalamazoo by agents from Immigration and Homeland Security, after they claim he lied about his background and falsely gained eligibility as a refugee in 2001.
It’s not clear why Alexander Kneginich was in the Kalamazoo area when he was taken into custody. He is a naturalized citizen who lives in Crown Pointe, Ind.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said Kneginich claimed on his application for refugee status that he and his wife faced persecution in Bosnia because he is Serbian and his wife is Croatian.
Federal authorities say he is facing sanctions because the 56-year-old did not disclose that he served in the Bosnian-Serb militia and was tried for the murders of two Muslims in 1994.
He faces a range of sanctions, from losing his citizenship, to extradition to Bosnia-Herzogovina or even a decade in a U.S. prison.
