Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), April 24 (LaPresse) – Tensions have flared in Bosnia following reports that Bosnian state security agents attempted to arrest the pro-Russian Bosnian Serb president, only to be stopped by his armed police. Milorad Dodik, president of the Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska, is on trial for his separatist policies. Bosnian courts issued an arrest warrant for Dodik in March after he failed to show up for questioning. The details of Wednesday’s events east of Sarajevo, where Dodik was holding meetings, are unclear. A spokesperson for the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), Jelena Miovcic, said that agency members “tried to execute a court order but were prevented by the Republika Srpska police.” No incidents of violence were reported, and photos of the scene published by the media appear to show unarmed Bosnian police inspectors and armed Serb police officers outside a government building. Bosnian Serb TV reported that the SIPA agents left after “talking” with the Serb-Bosnian police. Dodik later stated that he felt “safe and secure” and that Bosnian police had no authority in Republika Srpska. The incident further escalates the already high tensions in Bosnia, which remains ethnically divided long after the bloody 1992-1995 war that killed 100,000 people and displaced millions. Dodik, who leads the Serb part of Bosnia, has repeatedly called for the territory’s separation from the rest of Bosnia, fueling fears of instability. He has been sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom for his separatism but has received support from Moscow.