Kosovo police have arrested seven people suspected of “planning and carrying out the murder” of Sergeant Muhamed Lika, which is believed to have been carried out for motives related to his official work, authorities said on Monday.
Muhamed Lika was killed on the night of April 1 on the stairs of the building where he lives, while returning to his apartment from work.
The Director of the Kosovo Police, Gazmend Hoxha, and the Chief Prosecutor of the Basic Prosecution Office in Ferizaj, Burim Çerkini, said during a media conference in Ferizaj that the initial suspicions are that the motives for the murder are related to the sergeant's work as a police officer.
"Our suspicions so far are that the murder of our sergeant occurred due to his official duty. However, the motives will be clarified after interviewing suspicious persons and examining the evidence found. This remains to be proven," said Hoxha.
Among those arrested is a former member of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF), as well as an 18-year-old, Hoxha said.
Hoxha and Çerkini did not reveal the names of those arrested, but said that some of them have criminal pasts.
"Some of those arrested had criminal pasts and had been arrested in the past for cases related to extremist tendencies," Hoxha said.
Police arrested them during a wide-ranging operation on Monday morning, raiding nine locations in Kaçanik and a village in Klina, seizing two cars, mobile phones, several laptops, an official weapon, masks, gun barrels and cartridges.
Çerkini said that the arrested are being questioned and the prosecution will ask the court to order their detention.
The weapon used to commit the murder has not yet been found, they stressed, underlining that the investigation into Lika's murder will continue.
Lika was found seriously injured in the entrance of the building where he lived on April 1 at around 11:00 p.m. He was transported to the Medical Center in Kaçanik, but did not survive the injuries he suffered.
Kosovo's Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, had condemned the killing of the policeman, saying that " an attack on any member of the Kosovo Police is a direct attack on the order, institutions and security of the Republic of Kosovo . "/ REL (A2 Televizion)
A2 CNN Livestream
MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
