Arbnor Spahiu, a former member of the Kosovo Police Special Unit, who was issued a one-month detention order in Serbia, is suspected of committing the criminal offense of “aggravated murder,” the High Court in Subotica confirmed to Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL).
Spahiu is suspected of committing this act in Banjska – the northern part of Kosovo – where a group of armed Serbs attacked Kosovo police in September 2023, killing Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku. In the ensuing armed clashes, three Serb attackers were also killed.
Under Serbian law, “aggravated murder” carries a minimum sentence of ten years in prison or life imprisonment.
The suspicions of the Serbian authorities regarding this offense were also confirmed to RFE/RL by Spahiu’s lawyer, Arianit Koci, who stated that his client is currently in Subotica and “is doing well.” However, speaking a day earlier to journalists in Prishtina, Koci said that his client has not been part of the Kosovo Police for three years and that he lives in Germany. He stated that he has presented some evidence that, according to him, will prove Spahiu’s innocence.
As of the publication of this news, the High Public Prosecutor’s Office in Subotica has not responded to RFE/RL’s questions regarding this case and the lawyer’s claims. The Kosovo Police also did not answer RFE/RL’s question about when Spahiu left the service.
Spahiu was detained by Serbian authorities at the border crossing between Hungary and Serbia while returning from Austria by bus.
