Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic lived an 'ordinary' life while in hiding, disguising himself with a heavy beard, and working as a doctor of alternative medicine.

Karadzic was arrested on a bus in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, on Monday after 13 years on the run. He is expected to be extradited to the Hague to face trial on genocide and war crimes charges shortly.

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But many Serbians have been shocked to discover the open lifestyle adopted by one of the world's most wanted men over the past decade or more.

For years, rumours abounded - that the former president was living undercover as an Orthodox monk, that he had shaved his head and was hiding out in the mountains between Serbia and Montengegro, that he had fled to Russia.

Public lectures, articles

The reality, though, was that the 63-year-old Karadzic was leading a relatively public life, working as a naturopath in an alternative medicine clinic in Belgrade.

Living under the name of 'Dragun Dabic', he used public transport, wrote articles on meditation for lifestyle magazines, gave public lectures, and even appeared on local television.

But large, thick glasses, a bushy beard, and long, flowing white hair meant that even those in regular contact with him - patients, colleagues, landlords - had no idea who he really was.

"When I met him, he looked strange. He had long grey hair gathered in a ponytail and strangely braided at the top," said Goran Kojic, editor of journal Healthy Life.

"He was very convincing in hiding his identity," said Rasim Ljajic, the minister in charge of Serbia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

'Convincing' false identity

"He was working and performing alternative medicine, making money."

"One can see how convincing his false identity was," said Serbia's chief war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic. "He freely walked around town, even showing up at various public places."

Karadzic's lawyer Svetozar Vujacic said his client had been living in Belgrade for a long time, "working in a private practise while people who were in contact with him had no clue who he was".

"He did not have contacts with politicians in Serbia and Republika Srpska (the post-war Bosnian Serb entity), he did not have any security and he lived by himself," Mr Vujacic said.

Karadzic was last seen and photographed in the former Bosnian Serb military stronghold of Han Pijesak in July 1996, a year after he was charged by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

He is believed to have been tracked down following a tip-off from foreign intelligence services. He is thought to have been under surveillance for some time.





Source: SBS staff and agencies