Wrote: Festim Rizanaj
On Thursday morning (July 18), a Serbian police officer was killed in Loznica, and it is suspected that he was shot by Faton Hajrizi, who escaped from Smrekonica Prison two weeks ago.
The Serbian-language media outlet "Srpski telegraf" has published an article with the claim in the headline that "Kurti sent a terrorist to create chaos in Serbia!"
Although Faton Hajrizi is suspected of killing the policeman, the claim that he was sent by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to create chaos in Serbia is unfounded.
Link to content published by "Srpski Telegraf":
https://www.republika.rs/vesti/srbija/564818/aljbin-kurti-terorista-naslovna-strana (archive)
What is known about the event:
A police officer was killed and another seriously injured at around 00:55 on Thursday in Loznica, Serbia, according to confirmation from Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic. Dacic said a Kosovar passport and a German document were found at the scene, suspecting Artan Hajrizi or his brother, Faton Hajrizi, who escaped from Smrekonica Prison on July 6.
Initially, it was suspected that Artan Hajrizi had committed the murder, but he denied the accusations in the media and testified that he was in Germany, adding that his brother, Fatoni, had stolen the documents after fleeing and some of them were found at the scene.
So far, three people have been arrested: the taxi driver who was transporting the murder suspect to Serbia and two others in the Republika Srpska of Bosnia, suspected of organizing Hajriz's escape to a third country.
Serbia blames Kosovo without facts
Serbian officials said the attack was planned by “Kosovo structures,” blaming them for the incident. Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said they were working intensively to identify whether the killer of the policeman in Loznica was Artan Hajrizi or his brother Faton Hajrizi, who escaped from Smrekonica prison on July 6, claiming the killing could be a terrorist attack prepared by “Kosovo structures.” (here)
Even in the Serbian language media, Kosovo and Faton Hajrizi's past were linked to the recent event. Some of the media called the act terrorism, while others called Hajrizi a "criminal, a KLA terrorist."
Kosovo: Don't politicize the case
Prime Minister Albin Kurti called on Serbia not to politicize the murder, saying that authorities are gathering information. He asked that the statements of the Police, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs be followed, emphasizing that the issue must be addressed from a security, legal and professional perspective.
"The security bodies are collecting information and I had asked you to carefully follow the communications of the Police, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I also expect them to give their professional statements, because we believe that this issue should not be politicized, but treated as such, from a security, legal and professional point of view." (here)
Analyze:
The claim by the Serbian media outlet "Sprski Telegraf" that the suspect in the murder of a police officer in Serbia, Faton Hajrizi, was sent by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to create chaos in Serbia is unfounded.
Kurti has requested that the case not be politicized and that they are gathering information about the event in question, even though Serbian officials and media interpret it without facts as being organized by Kosovo structures.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses the claim as "Disinformation".
Reasoning:
"Disinformation" is defined as information content that contains a "mix" of inaccurate sources or even half-truthful attributes, and that is created and/or distributed with the deliberate intention of causing harm. The motive behind the producers/distributors of disinformation content lies in achieving a political, financial, psychological or social goal.