Kosovo’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, announced late on Friday that all suspects in the attack in Banjska in northern Kosovo in September last year have been placed in the INTERPOL international system for arrest warrants.
“We welcome the official notification from INTERPOL headquarters that all suspected individuals who carried out the terrorist attack on September 24 in Banjska of Zvecan have now been inserted into the international arrest warrant system,” said Sveçla.
On September 24, a group of armed Serbs attacked the Kosovo Police in Banjska of Zvecan, killing officer Afrim Bunjaku. During the exchange of fire, three attackers were also killed.
Responsibility for this attack was claimed by Milan Radoičić, former deputy of the Serb List – the main party of Serbs in Kosovo, which enjoys the support of official Belgrade.
Kosovo blamed Serbia for the attack, which denied any involvement but has left Radoičić free since then, on condition that he does not travel to Kosovo.
“This is an important step and as such it has a full effect when Serbia, which is harboring and accommodating these terrorists, hands them over to our authorities to answer to justice,” Sveçla wrote on Facebook on Friday.
In an interview on September 29, Sveçla said that investigations showed that “over 80 terrorists” were involved in the attack in northern Kosovo.
On December 7, 2023, Kosovo’s Minister for Communities and Returns, Nenad Rašić, said that the international police organization, INTERPOL, issued an arrest warrant for Radoičić in regards with the Banjska attack.
He said the arrest warrant was issued with the mediation of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, based on the request of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo.
Since Kosovo is not a member of INTERPOL, international arrest warrants are issued in this way.
INTERPOL told Radio Free Europe (RFE) in December that they do not comment on specific cases or individuals.
The agency explained that, at the request of member countries and after verifying compatibility, they issue so-called “red notices”.
A “red notice” alerts police worldwide to internationally wanted fugitives and helps bring them to justice. However, it is up to INTERPOL member countries to decide whether to arrest a person or not.
In a statement to RFE, also in December, UNMIK only said that it “processes all requests received from Kosovo authorities for the issuance of INTERPOL Red Notices and communicates them to INTERPOL for review, in accordance with INTERPOL procedures”.
Members of the UN Security Council on February 8 demanded that Serbia hold those involved in the armed attack in Banjska accountable.
