The initiator of the latest attack by Serbian paramilitaries on Kosovo police officers, Milan Radoicic, has been temporarily arrested for 48 hours. The Serbian Ministry of the Interior announced this on Tuesday in Belgrade.
Kosovo Serb businessman and politician Radoicic had publicly admitted days earlier that he was the perpetrator of the violent crimes. Now a court will decide whether Radoicic should be held in custody for 30 days. It was not initially revealed what crimes he is accused of.
The public prosecutor suspects him of criminal offenses related to the illegal production of explosive substances and the possession, carrying and sale of firearms. He was also accused of serious violations of general security, Serbian news agency Tanjug reported. During interrogation, the suspect denied having committed these crimes, the Public Prosecution Service said. Days earlier, however, Radoicic had publicly recognized himself as the leader of the Banjska operation.
The US had previously strongly demanded that those responsible for the violence be held accountable. On September 24, a heavily armed Serbian commando group of 30 men attacked Kosovan police officers in the town of Banjska near Mitrovica in northern Kosovo. Three Serb attackers and a Kosovo police officer were killed.
Increased tensions
This increased tensions between Kosovo and Serbia. Kosovo’s leaders accused Belgrade of being behind Radoicic’s actions. He claimed that he had acted on his own initiative. Kosovo and the US accused Serbia of increasing its military presence on the border with Kosovo. Belgrade denied this.
On Monday, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti also said that Serbian paramilitaries had trained on Serbian territory before their attack in Banjska. He also posted drone images on the short message service Platform X (formerly Twitter) that allegedly showed these exercises. The Serbian aggressors took the drone images themselves and the Kosovo police seized them along with weapons.
The former Serbian province of Kosovo declared its independence in 2008 after a bloody war. Serbia does not recognize this. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
