Kosovo has indicted 45 individuals on terrorism charges, nearly a year after a deadly clash between ethnic Serb gunmen and Kosovar police in a northern village.
The shootout, which occurred in September 2023, claimed the lives of four people, including a police officer, and heightened tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, whose relations have been strained since Kosovo's 2008 independence.
According to Kosovo’s chief prosecutor, Blerim Isufaj, the suspects face charges of terrorism, violations of constitutional order, financing terrorism, and money laundering. The attack involved approximately 80 gunmen who crossed into Kosovo from Serbia in armored vehicles.
They took shelter in a Serbian Orthodox monastery in Banjska, a northern region populated predominantly by ethnic Serbs. Following a fierce confrontation with Kosovar police, three attackers and one police officer were killed. At the same time, the rest of the gunmen escaped to Serbia, abandoning vehicles loaded with weapons and explosives.
Milan Radoicic, a former prominent Kosovo Serb politician, has admitted to leading the armed group and is among those indicted. Although Kosovo has issued arrest warrants, most of the accused, including Radoicic, are believed to be in Serbia, which refuses to extradite them due to its non-recognition of Kosovo’s independence.
The incident marks the worst violence in the region since Kosovo broke away from Serbia, further straining already fragile relations between Belgrade and Pristina. While Kosovo accuses Serbia of orchestrating the attack, Belgrade denies involvement.
Earlier this year, Interpol issued international arrest warrants for 19 suspects, but extradition remains unlikely due to ongoing political tensions.
The 50,000 ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo remain loyal to Belgrade, frequently clashing with Kosovo authorities and international peacekeepers.
