EU Officers 'Blocked' by Kosovo Police During Arrest

Nexhmi Krasniqi, the head of the police station in the southern Kosovo town, surrendered to the EULEX officers two hours after they attempted to arrest him but were blocked by Kosovo policemen.

Two other men were arrested by EULEX police on Wednesday as part of the same operation.

EULEX stated today that the arrests were authorised by a EULEX pre-trial judge of the District Court of Pristina. The mission claimed that the three persons arrested today were detained based on war crimes suspicions. 

Balkan Insight has learned that EULEX police and the First Intervention Team, FIT, part of the Kosovo police, entered Nexhmi Krasniqi's office in Prizren early on Wednesday in order to arrest him. 

“They entered around 9am but policemen from the station became angry and blocked the station, locking all the doors,” a source from Kosovo police told Balkan Insight.

“Kosovo policemen did not allow EULEX officers to arrest commander Krasniqi and closed all the doors. EULEX and FIT members left the building,” the source told Balkan Insight.

According to the source, Krasniqi surrendered two hours later.

Krasniqi and the two other persons who were arrested today are from Maliseve, which was a stronghold of the Kosovo Liberation Army during the conflict with Serbia in 1999.