MACEDONIA: KOSOVO NATIONALS ARRESTED FOR ARMED
ATTACK ON TWO POLICEMEN
BBC Monitoring - June 22, 2004
Article published by Macedonian newspaper Utrinski Vesnik on 21 June
Two days ago, on the pavement in front of the marketplace on 3d MUB Boulevard at
about 0430 (0230 gmt), two Kosovars with UNMIK (UN Interim Administration
Mission in Kosovo) passports assaulted two policemen, members of the SVR
(Internal Affairs Sector) Kumanovo. One of the assailants, a certain M.K., was a
Pristina resident. They held the two policemen at gun-point, took their police
vehicle, and left in an unknown direction.
Everything happened very rapidly after the officer on call in the market area
noticed two unidentified people and asked for their documents. They first tried
to present themselves falsely, but after the policeman insisted they showed
their passports, he saw that they were two Kosovars with UNMIK passports. While
he was checking their documents, another policeman arrived on location to help
his colleague, who became suspicious of the contents of a plastic bag that one
of the unknown people had. Suddenly the two attackers took out guns and pointed
them at the policemen, as if to shoot. They then disarmed the policemen and fled
after taking their "Chrysler".
The assailants were found 10 minutes away from the site of the incident, on Nada
Dimic Street near the marketplace. The police took measures to secure the scene
of the incident, while members of the anti-terrorist unit found the plastic bag
after thoroughly searching the hijacked police vehicle. It contained 1 kg of
wrapped TNT explosive, which was ready to be activated.
Rumour has it that one of the assailants, M.K., was Muhamed Krasniqi, alias
Commander Maliseva, known to the UNMIK police as a notorious person who
terrorizes the population in Kosovo and northwestern Macedonia. He is also known
to be a "prominent" fighter and commander of the UCK (Kosovo Liberation Army,
KLA), the KZK (Kosovo Protection Corps - TMK in Albanian), and the ANA (Albanian
National Army - AKSh in Albanian).
Source: Utrinski Vesnik, Skopje, in Macedonian 21
Jun 04 p 9
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