Serbian authorities recently arrested a former officer of the Kosovo Police’s Special Operations Unit, placing him in one-month pre-trial detention.
Belgrade accuses Arbnor Spahiu of having participated in the September 24th attack in Banjska, Zveçan—an assault led by former Serbian List vice-president Milan Radoičić that targeted Kosovo Police.
But in an exclusive interview with Tëvë1, Kosovo Police General Director Gazmend Hoxha firmly stated that Spahiu has not been part of the police force since 2022.
“In this latest case, the arrest of our former police officer Spahiu is part of Serbia’s ongoing attempts to intimidate and distort the image of the Kosovo Police, as well as to discourage officers from doing their duties. I believe they will fail. He resigned from the Kosovo Police in 2022. The accusations I saw in the media regarding his involvement in Banjska are unfounded. He has not been involved in any operations since 2022 and currently lives in Germany with his wife,” Hoxha said.
Hoxha confirmed that the commanding officers from Spahiu’s former unit have already submitted documents to Serbian authorities proving that he is no longer a Kosovo Police officer.
The Police Director also made a public appeal to his current and former officers:
“We’re in contact with his lawyer, Mr. Arianit Koci, through his former supervisors. We will provide all necessary documentation to ensure his prompt release from this unjust legal process. We firmly believe justice will prevail, although in Serbia that’s often hard to trust. The fact is, he is no longer a Kosovo Police officer and was not present in Banjska. We have fully documented this and forwarded it to his lawyer. We also urge all our officers—current and former—not to travel to Serbia,” Hoxha said.
Hoxha also addressed Serbia’s ongoing propaganda aimed at reinstating ethnic Serb officers who resigned from the Kosovo Police three years ago.
“We’re aware that late last year, Serbian President Vučić created a plan to address concerns regarding the situation in Kosovo. One part of that plan included reintegrating Serb police officers who had resigned from the Kosovo Police. This is impossible. They were not loyal to the Kosovo Police nor to the laws of the Republic of Kosovo. Therefore, they cannot be allowed back,” Hoxha said.
In the September 24th attack in Banjska—led by Milan Radoičić—Kosovo Police Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed. The United States later commended the Kosovo Police for their professionalism in preventing a wider conflict.
