Ratko Mladic captured by Serbian police

Mladic, now 68, is accused of masterminding the 44-month siege of Sarajevo that left 10,000 people dead in 1995 and the massacre in July of the same year of around 8,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica.

Serbian President Boris Tadic confirmed that Mladic had been arrested and said that "all war criminals must face justice."

Colonel Bob Stewart, former commander of the British forces in Bosnia, spoke to Sky News about his delight on hearing the news.

"This man was a hero to many people in Serbia and most certainly to the Bosnian-Serb army.

"But this is all linked to the fact that Serbia wants to be a member of the European Union.

"Mladic has been in hiding for a very long time and they will have known where he was and they should have weeded him out a long time ago.