An article published by the Serbian-language portal "Kosovoonline.com" claims that the 5 people arrested today in Kosovo, suspected of terrorist activities, had planned an attack against the international presence in the country.
The media outlet in question bases its claim on a statement by Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) analyst Dzevad Galijasevic, whom the outlet refers to as a security expert. In his analysis, Galijasevic claims without any evidence that these 5 arrested people.
Galijasevic tried to argue this claim by saying that the group's planning to attack KFOR soldiers could be seen in the confiscated weapons.
Dzevad Galijasevic's statement given to the Serbian media outlet "Kosovo-online.com", translated into Albanian:
This group has fallen after planning attacks on KFOR soldiers, this can be seen in the confiscated weapons.
The situation in Kosovo is undoubtedly dangerous, especially for the Serbian minority. In Kosovo, terrorism works in two directions, there are similar terrorists who were trained by ROSU spies and who are favorites of the US, and these five arrested belong to the second category, because they had plans related to Western military units.
I put this terrorist group in the category of those arrests, like when the imams were arrested in Pristina, that is, those who do not support the Western presence in this area. What America has done in Afghanistan could be an impetus for this group to act, and I am sure that there are more such groups in general in Kosovo.
Link to the article published on "Kosovo-online.com":
From this content, it is seen that the tendency to argue the claim that this group arrested for terrorism allegedly intended to attack soldiers is not supported by any facts.
Meanwhile, the joint statement from the Kosovo Police and the Special Prosecution Office does not clarify the plans of this group, which is suspected of preparing terrorist acts. This refutes the attempt of this analyst from BiH.
Joint statement by the Kosovo Police and the Special Prosecution:
The Special Prosecution Office of the Republic of Kosovo (SPRK) informs the public that after a several-month investigation and the implementation of covert investigation and surveillance measures, by order of this prosecution, an operation was conducted by the Kosovo Police, respectively by the Counter-Terrorism Directorate, which resulted in the arrest of five people.
The Special Prosecution Office reports that explosives, drone firearms and anti-tank weapons were found during the raid.
Also, there is a reasonable suspicion that the same persons have committed the criminal offenses "Preparation of Terrorist offenses or criminal offenses against the Constitutional order and Security of the Republic of Kosovo" from article 138 paragraph 1 of the KPRK, related to the criminal offense "Committing the offense terrorist" from article 129 paragraph 1 related to article 31 of the KPRK, as well as the criminal offense "Import, export, supply, transportation, production, exchange, mediation or unauthorized sale of weapons or explosives" from article 364 paragraph 2 of the KPRK -'s.
PSRK announces that the same persons are also suspected of the criminal offense of "Unauthorized ownership, control or possession of weapons" from article 366 paragraph 2 of the KPRK.
Likewise, the Special Prosecutor's Office, within the legal time limits, will make a request for the appointment of detention for the five detained persons.
Link to the joint statement of the Kosovo Police and the Special Prosecution on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KosovoPolice/posts/4557525107641323
Regarding the arrest of these individuals, Albanian-language media have also reported, where in no case is there any mention of the plans that this group suspected of terrorist acts had. (click) here, here and here)
Analyze:
Kosovo Police has announced that by order of the Special Prosecution, 5 people have been arrested, in whom there is reasonable suspicion that they have committed the criminal offenses of "Preparation of Terrorist Acts or Criminal Offenses Against the Constitutional Order and Security of the Republic of Kosovo".
However, regarding their arrest, Bosnian analyst Dzevad Galijasevic spoke out, saying that this group intended to attack KFOR soldiers, but he does not substantiate this claim with any facts.
The claims made by Galijasevic are not based on a single reference, but are all rumored, misrepresenting sources. This political analyst from BiH is sometimes referred to as a self-proclaimed security expert (click here).
Based on this fact check, the hibrid.info team decides to assess this article, Galijasevic's claims as "Conspiracy Theory".
Reasoning:
"Conspiracy theories" are media reports that disseminate a false or unverifiable description of a phenomenon, event, or person, presenting it as part of or the result of a secret plan ("conspiracy"). A characteristic of these reports is that they present a series of claims, presented as facts, between which cause-effect relationships are established, without providing any credible evidence.