Kosovo authorities have demanded the release of Arbnor Spahiu, a former member of the Kosovo Police Special Unit, currently detained in Serbia.

Serbia said it suspects him of aggravated murder in relation to the September 2023 attack by a group of Serbian gunmen in the village of Banjska in the north of Kosovo.

Xhelal Svecla, Kosovo’s acting Interior Minister and an MP for the ruling Vetevendosje party, told media on Wednesday that the ministry “is committed to ensuring that [he] is released as soon as possible and that such cases do not occur again”. He denied that Spahiu was a member of the Kosovo Police in 2023.

Spahiu was arrested on June 7 by the Serbian authorities at Horgos, the Hungary-Serbia border crossing, while returning by bus from Austria with his family.

Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry announced on June 11 on Facebook that “the Liaison Office of the Republic of Kosovo in Serbia is following developments surrounding the arrest with increased attention”.

“According to statements by family members and the defence attorney, the charges brought against Spahiu are related to the Banjska case. They consider these charges completely unfounded and fabricated, emphasising that Spahiu completed his service in the Kosovo Police in 2022 and has been living in Germany with his family since then,” it said.

The Higher Court in the northern Serbian city of Subotica on Monday ordered custody for Arbnor that can last up to 30 days. It told BIRN that he is suspected of aggravated murder in relation to the Banjska 2023 attack, but without specifying details.

The court said it ordered custody “due to the risk of flight and the risk of influencing witnesses”. The Higher Prosecutor’s Office in Subotica told BIRN that the investigation is still ongoing.

Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry said that Jetish Jashari, from the Kosovo liaison office in Serbia, “together with the lawyer engaged by Spahiu’s family, Arianit Koci, will travel on June 11 to Subotica where they will meet the second ex officio lawyer.

“The Kosovo Liaison Office in Serbia has immediately submitted an official request for permission for Ambassador Jetish Jashari to visit Spahiu at the Subotica Detention Centre,” and is awaiting approval, it continued.

Kosovo said it had notified the embassies of the so-called QUINT countries in Belgrade and all other embassies in Kosovo about the arrest and “regular communication is being maintained with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, considering that Spahiu has regular residence in Germany”.

Bekim Kupina, Media Advisor to Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, told BIRN that as soon as Osmani was informed about the case, she contacted Kosovo’s Liaison Office in Serbia, the QUINT countries and the EU Office.

The QUINT countries comprise the US, the UK, France Germany and Italy.

As BIRN has reported, there is no judicial collaboration between Serbia and Kosovo in criminal cases.

Kosovo’s Special Prosecution has filed an indictment against 42 defendants, including Kosovo Serb kingpin Milan Radoicic, charging them with terrorism and endangering the Constitutional order in relation to the attack in Banjska, where one Kosovo policeman and three attackers were killed.

Radoicic, who is currently in Serbia, has taken full responsibility for the attack. According to the indictment, which BIRN has seen, Radoicic had been financing a “structured terrorist group” since 2017.

Blagoje Spasojevic, Vladimir Tolic and Dusan Maksimovic are the only persons arrested and currently in detention in Kosovo over the attack. They have all pleaded not guilty. This week, the trial before the Pristina Basic court, is hearing the prosecution witnesses – Kosovo policemen who were on the ground the day of the attack.

The Special Prosecution aims to prove the assault was well planned by a trained group of armed Serbs.