Serbian police officer killed, another injured in armed attack by Kosovo Albanian: Interior minister

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - A Serbian police officer was killed and another injured in the western city of Loznica by a suspect identified as a Kosovo Albanian, according to Interior Minister Ivica Dacic.

The shooting occurred late Wednesday when police were checking identifications at night in the border region and stopped a car. Gunfire from the vehicle killed officer Nikola Krsmanovic while Vjekoslav Ilic was injured.

Media reports said the suspect is Faton Hajrizi, who recently escaped from prison in Kosovo.

The ministry said police found the documents of Hajrizi’s brother at the scene. The brother said the suspect stole his documents and is the culprit.

Dacic described the shooting as a "terrorist act" and said security forces were searching for the suspect. Officials found an identity card that is believed to belong to the attacker.

He said organized crime units would investigate.

Dacic added that authorities requested help from the public to catch the suspect and a search was carried out with helicopters.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said Thursday that the issue should not be politicized “and should be handled from a security, professional and legal perspective.”

He added that Kosovo’s security institutions are collecting information about the shooting.

Dacic later told reporters that one suspect transporting the killer from Presevo ​​to Loznica was arrested in the city of Bijeljina in Bosnia Herzegovina, along with his wife, as a helper.

"In Bijeljina, in the afternoon, in cooperation with the Police of the Republic of Srpska (one of two entities of Bosnia Herzegovina), Z.R. born in 1985 was arrested on suspicion of having organized the transport of the killer from Presevo ​​to Loznica,'' said Dacic.

Kosovo's Foreign Ministry urged citizens and the diaspora to exercise increased caution when traveling through Serbia or to altogether avoid traveling through Serbian territory.