Serbia's police have detained five people suspected of committing war crimes against civilians in east Bosnia in 1992, the country's war crimes prosecutors say.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Serbian War Crimes Prosecution handed over a request to the War Crimes Council of the Belgrade District Court for carrying out an investigation into six people on whether they committed war crimes against civilians in the villages of Skocic, Malesic, Petkovci and Drinjaca, in the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina, in July 1992.

Five of them were arrested in Belgrade Thursday night on orders of the Serbian Interior Ministry, the country's state news agency TANJUG reported.

The sixth suspect is serving a sentence for a war crime he committed in Sjeverin. All of the suspects are charged with murder.

On 11 July 1992, the suspects allegedly killed at least 23 Roma civilians after beating and torturing them.

HSH/MMN