The Director of the Kosovo Police, Gazmend Hoxha, provided details on the terrorist attack on the Ibër-Lepenc canal, including how the attack occurred, the suspects involved, and the structures supporting them. In an interview with RTK Prime, Hoxha explained that the amount of explosives used in the attack was suspected to range from 15 to 20 kilograms, and he described the attack as resembling a sabotage operation typically seen during wartime.
“Based on what we secured from the crime scene, there was an explosive device placed in a black bag, and it was dropped at the end of the canal, on the left side. According to our experts from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, we suspect that the amount of explosives used was between 15 and 20 kilograms. The powerful explosion caused damage to the lower plate of the canal and cracked the left side of the canal’s wall. This allowed water to leak out, disrupting the flow and causing a cut-off in the water supply for various units, including KEK (Kosovo Energy Corporation) and the drinking water supply for many municipalities in Kosovo,” said Hoxha.
He added that the police were notified about the attack 7 to 10 minutes after it occurred, as the explosion was underwater and could not be heard from a distance. The police were informed by witnesses and noticed the incident due to the water leakage.
Further, Hoxha compared the Ibër-Lepenc attack to a wartime sabotage operation.
“This resembles a sabotage operation that is typically carried out during wartime, or just before such operations begin, in order to put the opposing side in an extremely difficult position for resistance or counter-response. It’s one of the tactics used in warfare, a pre-military and military operation,” said the Kosovo Police Director, adding that the suspects arrested were remnants of the ‘Civil Defense’ structure, which was declared a terrorist organization by the Kosovo Government last year.
“The majority of those we have detained are from this terrorist organization, so we are working in this direction. Likewise, most of the individuals involved in the Banjska incident were from the ‘Civil Defense’,” Hoxha stated. /RTK
