Albania Arrests Three Over Assassination Plot

In a statement, the police said the arrests came as the “three suspects were securing the means and the conditions to commit murder.”

The three were arrested on January 28 and their detention was validated by Tirana’s District Court on Sunday.

The arrest follows an investigation carried out by the office of the prosecutor for serious crimes and the secret service. 

The suspected plot comes after the January 21 anti-government protests in Tirana that left three protesters dead and dozens wounded.

Prime Minister Berisha has since denounced the January 21 riots as an attempted coup d’état. He has accused Rama, the general prosecutor, the president and the security services of being behind what he calls a failed effort to overthrow the government.

Berisha’s ruling Democratic Party and the Socialist opposition, headed by Rama, have been locked in a power struggle over the results of the June 2009 general elections.

The Socialists say that Berisha "stole" the election through voter fraud. The Democrats have rejected the accusations, maintaining that the polls were the best the country has ever held.