The arrest of 16 Serbs in Gjakova and Prizren – everything known about their connections to military intelligence and terrorist groups

Kosovo police have arrested 16 Serbian citizens, among whom were active Serbian security officers.

This was announced by the acting Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla.

The first group, according to him, consisting of four people, was detained in Gjakova. Meanwhile, 12 other people were detained in Prizren.

Read too Police action, 16 Serbs arrested, four active security officers - Sveçla provides details

The arrested were traveling in four vehicles with license plates from Kragujevac, Serbia. During the search, evidence was found linking these individuals to Serbian military intelligence structures and members of the terrorist group that participated in the armed attack in Banjska.

Among the seized evidence are photographs with a map of Kosovo, images of killed members of the Banjska terrorist group, two knives, an axe and a rotating light.

The Kosovo Police has also reported on the detention of four people in Gjakova, but this case was also mentioned in the announcement for the Kosovo Security Council meeting, held on Sunday.

The arrested in Gjakova are: Branko Rakić, resident in northern Mitrovica, Nemanja Vamokić, police lieutenant, resident in Novi Sad, Pavle Kragović, resident in Belgrade, Milovan Stević, captain and agent of the Serbian army, resident in northern Mitrovica.

Acting Minister Sveçla, meanwhile, claimed that the 12 people detained in Prizren were "taking shelter in the Bogoslavia Orthodox Seminary."

Read too One of the arrested 'relative of the main suspect in the murder of Afrim Bunjaku'

"Also in this group were two active officers of the Serbian security services," said Sveçla.

The minister announced that one of the arrested has been identified as a relative of the main suspect in the murder of Afrim Bunjaku, Vladimir Radivojevic, known as "Mami".

Meanwhile, the other detained official is a first-class captain of the Serbian army, who, according to Svečla, has connections to the former general of Serbian military intelligence, Jovan Milanović.

These people have been detained for 48 hours by order of the prosecutor.

Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti has raised the alarm that Serbia is continuing its efforts to prevent the formation of new institutions resulting from the parliamentary elections of February 9, 2025, by exerting influence on some MPs from non-Serb communities.

Read too Kurti: Serbia is sabotaging the formation of institutions resulting from the elections, targeting minority MPs

He emphasized that the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, has made state resources and means available to the Serbian List and Milan Radoić to achieve this influence.

"The President of Serbia, Vučić, has made state resources and means available for this to the Serbian List and the chief terrorist Milan Radoićić, who in the criminal and terrorist aggression in Banjska on September 24, 2023 was the de jure vice-president of the Serbian List, and is now the de facto president of this political entity. Several MPs from non-Serb minorities are targeted," Kurti wrote.

The Regional Director of the Police in Gjakova, Lumni Graishta, shared a photo of the found map on Facebook and praised the commitment of police officials to prevent a possible operation with a suspicious background.

"This time too, like many times before, boys and girls who faithfully serve the homeland triumphed in the face of Serbian criminal state structures... I am endlessly proud and grateful to each police officer of the DRP Gjakova for their vigilance and commitment in the service of the homeland," Graishta wrote, among other things.

Read too Of the 12 Serbs arrested in Prizren, two were detained for falsely presenting themselves as members of the MUP.

We recall that of the 12 Serbs arrested in Prizren, 10 of them have been released, while two have been detained for falsely presenting themselves as members of the MUP.

This was announced by the Police spokesperson for the Prizren region, Vesel Gashi, who announced that the case was discovered after operational-investigative actions undertaken by the investigation sector in Prizren.

These developments also prompted reactions from the Diocese of Raska and Prizren, which stated that it had learned from the media that people who had been guests of the Seminary the previous night had been

The church cannot have knowledge of who all the pilgrims are who attend services or even this seminar.

"Any insinuation that the aforementioned persons, while staying in the guest section of the Seminar, allegedly used the 'religious institution to mask and incite interethnic and religious tensions in Kosovo', as stated in today's Kosovo Police statement, is completely irresponsible and not based on concrete facts," said the Diocese of Raška and Prizren.

Read too The arrest of 16 Serbs, the Diocese of Raska and Prizren reacts

On the other hand, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said that the detained persons had gone to visit the Theological Seminary and monasteries around Prizren.

"Imagine, some of these people are also members of the security structures, and then they find, say, a knife and a broken axe - it is completely clear that they are not used for anything other than some private use and personal needs," Vučić said.

The case has raised concerns about security in the border areas and the possible activities of groups linked to illegal Serbian structures. Kosovo Police have assured that they will continue with increased vigilance and in-depth investigations. /Telegraph/