Following the serious incident at the high-security prison in Peqin, Albania where an inmate killed another with a firearm and injured two other individuals, prison director Kamber Hoxha, along with 12 other staff members, has been arrested.
Two convicted individuals, Arben Lleshi and Ilir Shaqja, were shot on Friday with firearms in the high-security prison premises of Peqin.
The perpetrator of the incident was reported to be the convicted inmate Sokol Mjaçaj, who was serving a life sentence.
Lleshi lost his life on the way to the hospital, while Shaqja remained injured. Both were also sentenced to life imprisonment for murder.
The incident occurred while some inmates were outside their cells in the ventilation areas. Among them was Mjaçaj, who, according to unofficial information, is suspected to have approached the window of Lleshi’s cell, calling him by name.
When he appeared, Mjaçaj is believed to have fired several shots, one of which hit Shaqja in the leg, who was in the same cell. Afterward, Mjaçaj, according to sources, withdrew to an internal area and only after lengthy negotiations with prison authorities did he surrender.
Despite many hours passing since the incident, authorities have not provided any updates, at least regarding the dynamics of the event, which marks a serious security breach in one of the prisons supposed to guarantee its highest elements. This institution hosts individuals serving sentences for crimes with a high level of risk.
Albanian Justice Minister Ulsi Manja, under whose jurisdiction the prison system falls, refused to provide even the smallest detail about the event, claiming, “The investigations should not be jeopardized”.
He emphasized that “as far as it concerns us, we will go to the end of this, to bring out all legal and administrative responsibilities. Other responsibilities of a criminal nature belong to the investigating body, with which we are closely cooperating”.
The main question arises regarding how a firearm managed to enter a high-security prison. Initial suspicions include the possible use of a drone that evaded the surveillance of guards monitoring the external perimeter, but this would still require cooperation from within the prison. Mjaçaj himself stated he had obtained the weapon more than a month and a half ago.
While the motives remain unclear, one of the main leads is believed to be related to a possible contract killing.
In 2016, Mjaçaj killed two Czech tourists during a robbery. Other inmates shot by him were also accused of murder. Lleshi had killed an Albanian in the UK in 2012, while Shaqja is the perpetrator of the murder of two elderly women in Durrës in 2016 during a robbery.
