Kosovo detains a member of the Serbian Police

Kosovo authorities have detained a member of the Serbian Police at the Jarinje border crossing—which connects the two countries—under suspicion of unauthorized import of ammunition and unauthorized possession of weapons and explosive materials.

Kosovo Police did not release the name of the arrested person, but said that he is a citizen of both Kosovo and Serbia and was arrested on Saturday morning. He was sent to detention while the authorities are conducting an investigation against him.

In its daily report on Sunday, the Kosovo Police said that in the suspected police officer’s vehicle, which had Serbian license plates, they found and confiscated 51 cartridges, 9,900 Euros in cash, and 26,000 Serbian Dinars.

“Personal documents such as an ID card along with a Serbian Police badge, a Serbian Police union card, Serbian and Kosovo identity cards, a Serbian passport, a pair of uniform shoulder boards, a pair of gloves, and a USB stick were seized from the suspect,” the announcement stated.

His arrest comes several months after Kosovo expelled two members of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) from the country, under suspicion of undermining national security, and banned their entry for five years in June.

The Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia said at the time that, in general, Kosovo had expelled 11 Kosovo Serbs who are part of the Serbian Police. However, Kosovo authorities have not disclosed how many members of the Serbian MUP have been expelled so far.

Meanwhile, Serbia itself has also arrested members of the Kosovo Police, most recently, police officer Arbnor Spahiu, who has been held in the northern Serbian city of Subotica since June 9.

Serbia accuses Spahiu of committing “aggravated murder” in Banjska—the northern part of Kosovo—where a group of armed Serbs attacked the Kosovo Police in September 2023, killing sergeant Afrim Bunjaku.

However, the Kosovo Police confirmed that Spahiu was not a member of the police force at that time./Rferl/