The Kosovo Police have arrested two suspects in connection with the distribution of leaflets in North Mitrovica, which called for “resistance”.

The Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police for the Northern region, Veton Elshani, said that law enforcement authorities are searching for a third suspect.

During the police operation, which took place on Wednesday afternoon, where G.K. (1978) and D.S. (1971) were arrested, four locations in North Mitrovica were also raided.

According to Elshani, the detainees will be subjected to questioning regarding suspicions that they distributed the leaflets.

On February 13, the police had announced that at the entrances of buildings and on various streets in North Mitrovica, a municipality inhabited mainly by Serbs, leaflets calling for “resistance” and “inciting hatred” had been found. According to authorities, these leaflets were distributed during and after a protest by Serbs in North Mitrovica held on February 12, opposing the decision to ban the Serbian dinar for payments in Kosovo.

The leaflets, signed by “People’s Defense”, which were distributed on various channels on Telegram, contained purported instructions for resistance against the Kosovo Police. Among other things, these leaflets stated that the Kosovo Police should be targeted with some means, police officers should be spat on and insulted. Then, police cars should be smashed, and instructions on how to make Molotov cocktails and the like were given.

The Serb List, the main party of Serbs in Kosovo enjoying the support of official Belgrade, stated that whoever carried out these actions aimed to undermine peace and deepen instability “so that Serbs could be blamed for possible new incidents”.