Bearded Karadzic was 'moving freely' in Belgrade

The most wanted man in Europe was hidden behind a Dumbledore-style beard and working in an alternative medicine clinic when he was finally brought to justice.

Radovan Karadzic, mastermind of the worst massacre since the Second World War, was moving freely around Belgrade and living in the capital, the Serbian government said.

Karadzic, 63, was arrested last night after a decade on the run.

War crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic today said a judge had ordered his transfer to the UN war crimes court in The Hague to face genocide charges.

Karadzic has three days to appeal against the ruling. His lawyer Sveta Vujacic said he intends to do so.

Accused with masterminding the deadly siege of Sarajevo and the 1995 massacre of up to 8,000 Muslims in the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica, Karadzic had topped the tribunal’s most-wanted list for more than a decade.

Karadzic’s whereabouts had been a mystery, with his hideouts reportedly including monasteries and mountain caves in remote eastern Bosnia.

Serbian security services found Karadzic while looking for another top war crimes suspect, general Ratko Mladic.

“He was arrested Monday evening near Belgrade while changing locations,” said a government spokesman.

He said Karadzic – once known for his distinctively coifed hairdo – was unrecognisable with his long mane, beard and glasses.

“His false identity was very convincing,” he said. “Even his landlords were unaware of his identity.”