 This statement prompted Croatian media to adopt alleged terrorists in Bosnia narrative as an ongoing theme at the time.Such claims were dismissed by Bosnian officials and local Islamic religious authorities, with Bosnia’s Security Minister Dragan Mektić being most vocal, even telling the media that there was a possibility of para-secret service agencies staging a bogus terrorist act in order to legitimise false claims of increased Islamic radicalism in Bosnia.The Croats received support from Croatia and the Croatian Army fought with the local Croatian Defense Council (HVO) forces.