Kosovo’s critical infrastructure has experienced the biggest terrorist attack since the post-war period. After in the north, the Ibër-Lepenci channel was hit with explosives, the authorities restored the flow and prevented the energy collapse. The police, meanwhile, have secured evidence and arrested some of the suspects. Prime Minister Albin Kurti blamed Serbia for the attack
A few hours after the terrorist attack with explosives in the Ibër-Lepenci canal, the security authorities seized materials and arrested suspects who intended to attack the critical infrastructure of the state. In parallel with the work of the field teams to avoid the consequences of the damage, the police raided several houses in Varaga of Zubin-Potoku. The result of the action was first spoken by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who visited the place where the explosion took place in the late hours of Friday together with the head of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, Petrit Ajeti, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, the director of Police, Gazmend Hoxha and the chief executive of the company of Ibër-Lepenci, Faruk Mujka.
“The police are carrying out investigations, have conducted raids, there are also arrests, testimonies and material evidence and all these criminals and terrorists will face justice, with the power of the just law of the democratic and independent republic of Kosovo”, he said. Kurt. Prime Minister Kurti blamed Serbia for the attack, saying that maximum damage was intended. “These attacks were carried out by professionals. I saw it at the scene, there is no way that this could be done by one or two individuals, there is no way that ordinary citizens could do this, it was done by an organization that is professional for such terrorist acts and the ability, capacity, interest in only Serbia has such a thing”, he said.
Serbia was also blamed by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Xelal Sveçla, who together with the general director of the Police, Gazmend Hoxha, spoke about the action after the terrorist attack.
“Continuous attacks by terrorist criminal groups, such as the recent grenade attacks in Zveçan and now the last terrorist attack that took place last night against critical infrastructure, are attacks directed by Serbia, and for this we hold official Belgrade responsible,” Sveçla said. in an extraordinary media conference, which was organized in the police camp in Mitrovica. Sweden has described the explosion with explosives in Zubin-Potok as the worst attack on critical infrastructure since the post-war period. “This terrorist attack is not just an ordinary attack, but organized and well-planned by groups or organizations that are professionals in carrying out such terrorist attacks that cause great damage to critical infrastructure. So their aim was to maximize the damage to Kosovo and its citizens”, he said.
Director Hoxha has said that the last three attacks in the north have been qualified as “terrorist attacks” that had the aim of undermining Kosovo’s security. He said that the arrested may be related to the chief terrorist Milan Radoicic, but added that it remains the work of the investigation to confirm the role of each arrested.
The Director of Police indicated that during the raids that took place on Saturday, more than 200 military uniforms, 6 boots, 3 hand grenades, 2 AK47 guns, 1 revolver, ammunition of various calibers, fuses for initiating explosives, military helmets were confiscated. , masks, knives, money and other equipment.
While in a separate raid in Zveçan, the Police confiscated a significant amount of weapons, 2 AK47, 3 revolvers, 1 hunting weapon, 2 recreational weapons, 6 AK47 magazines, ammunition and military uniforms. Hoxha also gave details about the action and the explosives used for the explosion in Ibër-Lepenc.
“These cases of terrorist attacks, especially the last case – the terrorist attack against the critical infrastructure – in terms of the way they were executed and carried out, but also the identification and targeting of the targets of the attacks, it is clear that we are dealing with a group well organized that has knowledge and skill in the use of explosive devices. Based on the intensive investigations undertaken by the Kosovo Police and its relevant units, in cooperation with the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, several persons have been identified as possible suspects, namely instigators of acts of violence, organizers or executors of these terrorist attacks, especially the last attack”, said Hoxha. “15 to 20 kilograms of explosives was placed in a black bag and was activated with a mechanical detonator through a slow-burning wick,” he said.
Minister Sveçla congratulated the police for their work, and said that Kosovo is proving to be successful in the face of Serbia’s intention to bring as many weapons, ammunition and uniforms as possible to the north, to organize resistance, as in the case of the terrorist attack in Banjska. last year.
“All these definitely have a single address. The absolute majority of products are Serbian. A large part of them are exclusively military equipment which is not easily found even on the black market, let alone the legal market”, said Sveçla. “The explosive used last night is a material which is almost impossible to find unless it is supplied directly from the army warehouses”. In addition to the security authorities, immediately after the attack, the emergency teams were also activated. They have managed to restore the flow in the Ibër-Lepenci channel, through which part of the municipalities are supplied with drinking water, and on which the functioning of the Energy Corporation of Kosovo, Ferronikeli and Termokos depends.
Strong security measures have been taken at the site where the machines continued to work, to repair the damage from the attack. The chief executive officer of the Ibër-Lepenci enterprise, Faruk Mujka, said that the complete sanitation of the canal will take time.
“The situation is stable, but you should know that this is an emergency situation. This is a situation to come to the aid of KEK. When I say KEK, it refers to the economy and the entire household of the Republic of Kosovo. At the moment, we have a problem… There should be a cooperation with the regional water supply companies, in this case Mitrovica, Vushtrri, Prishtina, so that we can use this water that we have rationally and according to the set schedule”, said Mujka. “We are very satisfied with our intervention last night with a quick organization and mobilization, which surely those who did this damage or this terrorist act did not expect”.
During the day, KEK announced that the supply of electricity throughout the country is stable, despite the explosion in the Ibër-Lepenci channel, from which power plants A and B are cooled. Similarly, the actions taken were also announced , in order to avoid an energy collapse.
“The Emergency Management Agency (EMA), KRU Prishtina (in coordination with all KRUs), have been mobilized with equipment such as autobote (water tankers) to ensure the supply of water to the power plant in case of need and to guarantee reserves the necessary amount of water”, the announcement states. “KEK continues to operate with two units of TC Kosova B and two units of TC Kosova A, which have not been affected by the lack of water from the canal. Also, in case of need, KEK has secured the capacity of 150 M from KESH, which will be used to support stable electricity supply”.
The detonating force from the explosion also had consequences in several residential buildings, while a house was flooded due to the diversion of the water flow. The mayor of Zubin-Potoku Municipality, Izmir Zeqiri, said that the attack could cost people their lives.
“Dame in people means there is none. There are material dams, the house… there is water inside and a woman went out of the window, I managed to get out last night after the attack and I was informed by her that first they heard a big explosion means here and then the water flooded and it is a risk, it also means the lives of the citizens,” said Zeqiri. In addition to the Police, teams from KFOR and EULEX were also present at the place where the attack with explosives took place. Numerous machines of both missions have moved throughout the day on the roads leading to the village of Varaga and Zubin-Potoku. In the last three days, three attacks have occurred in the north of Kosovo. On Tuesday, hand grenades were thrown in the yard of the police station in Zveçan. And less than 24 hours after the hand grenade attack on the Municipality building in Zveçan, on Friday an explosion occurred in the water supply network of Ibër-Lepenci in the village of Varagë in Zubin-Potoku on Friday.
