Zeljko Jankovic, a former special police officer who was arrested in the northeastern town of Bijeljina last month, was handed over to the Bosnian Serb police, the NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR) said in a statement.

"SFOR is satisfied with the current status of our investigation into (war crimes suspects') support networks and should new intelligence surface regarding Mr Jankovic we are prepared to act on it," the statement said.

It said SFOR and local police would continue operations "to get deeper into" the support networks of war crimes suspects.

"Those indicted war criminals that remain at large have no permanent hiding place," it added.

Last week SFOR released another former special police officer, Dusan Tesic, who was arrested during a separate January raid in Karadzic's former stronghold of Pale.

Local press link the two men to an underground group which is believed to be helping Karadzic escape arrest.

Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb political leader, is wanted by the United Nations war crimes tribunal for alleged genocide and other atrocities committed during Bosnia's 1992-95 war.

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