Kosovo authorities have intensified a series of investigations and arrests targeting individuals suspected of collaborating with Serbian intelligence structures, including the Serbian Security Intelligence Agency (BIA), with the latest case involving the arrest of Fehim Sali at the Merdar border crossing.
Sali was arrested on Thursday in a joint operation involving the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (AKI), Kosovo Police and the Special Prosecution Office. He is suspected of committing the criminal offense of espionage.
According to a joint statement by Kosovo Police and the Special Prosecution Office, Sali was detained at the Merdar crossing, while investigators subsequently searched his residence in Dragash under a judicial order.
Authorities said they seized €39,500 in cash, 500 Serbian dinars, four mobile phones and various documents considered relevant to the investigation.
The Special Prosecution Office said it would submit a request to the Basic Court in Prishtina for Sali to be placed in pretrial detention within the legally prescribed period. He has initially been ordered held for 48 hours.
According to the allegations presented by Kosovo authorities, Sali had allegedly maintained long-term contacts with BIA and with one of its officials, Zelimir Matovic. Sali works as a teacher at the Serbian-language “9 Maji” school in Rapça, Dragash, and had previously served on the Consultative Council for Communities within the Office of the President.
Authorities suspect that he was involved in facilitating property-related matters and Serbian documentation, while also allegedly helping collect votes for supporters of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
The allegations have not been proven in court, and Sali is presumed innocent unless found guilty.
The case has renewed concerns among Kosovo security experts over alleged Serbian intelligence activity inside Kosovo. Analysts say such activity could extend beyond information gathering to attempts to penetrate institutions, security structures and other sensitive areas.
“Sali is suspected of having cooperated for a long time in the service of BIA by identifying and providing Kosovo citizens as potential recruitment targets for BIA and by facilitating the processing of Serbian documents,” said Arben Fetoshi of the Octopus Institute.
Security expert Hysen Gecaj said Serbian intelligence structures were particularly interested in Kosovo’s critical infrastructure and sensitive security information.
“They are most interested in Kosovo’s critical infrastructure, particularly its most sensitive parts, where greater damage could be caused, as well as the number of KSF members and personnel of the Kosovo Police and AKI,” Gecaj said.
Sali’s arrest is part of a broader series of espionage cases recorded in Kosovo since 2024. According to the report, at least seven people were arrested between 2024 and 2025 on suspicion of espionage, with several cases involving alleged cooperation with BIA.
Those cases included Aleksandar Vlajić, Bedri Shabani, Muharrem Qerimi, Hysri Selimi, Jelena Đukanović, Bojan Jevtić and Fatmir Sheholli.
The successive investigations and arrests have intensified scrutiny of alleged Serbian intelligence operations in Kosovo, particularly concerns over recruitment, infiltration and the collection of sensitive information.
