Some European intelligence agencies have warned the Turkish government of a possible assassination attempt against the country's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during an official state visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina. On Sunday, the Turkish leader embarked on a week-long visit to the Balkans, starting with Bosnia, which together with Albania is considered Turkey's strongest political ally in Europe. During his visit to Bosnia, Mr. Erdoğan will meet Bakir Izetbegovic, one of the country's three presidents. In addition, a gathering of expatriate Turks is planned in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, organized in support of his justice and development party.
On Saturday night, Turkey's TRT broadcaster reported that the Turkish president's delegation had been warned of a possible assassination attempt on him. According to TRT, the information originally came from the intelligence services of the Republic of Macedonia, another state in the former Yugoslavia, which, like Bosnia, has a large Muslim population. Turkish intelligence reportedly warned that a group of militant opponents of Mr. Erdoğan living in the Balkans were planning to kill him, the report said. Intelligence agencies from other countries have also reported the same danger. TRT did not provide further details on the alleged plot, but said a thorough investigation by Turkish intelligence is underway.
The Turkish president is facing one of the toughest challenges of his political career in less than two weeks, when the Turks go to the polls to elect a new parliament and potentially a new president. Some political commentators believe that, on June 2nd, Mr. Erdoğan may be removed from power after 15 years of leadership.
