Civilian administration
UN police arrest murder suspect in
attack on Serbs: UNMIK police have arrested an ethnic Albanian man
in connection with last month's deadly attack on a Serb family. In the
assault that took place on 29 November during the "Albanian Flag Day"
celebration, a 63-year-old Serb man was shot dead and his 51-year-old wife
and 76-year-old mother-in-law were dragged from the car and severely beaten
by a large crowd of ethnic Albanians.
The arrest of the 27-year-old Albanian suspect was made on the basis of information received from witnesses. UNMIK's Regional Investigation Unit is still looking for other suspects in this case.
Crime decreases slightly during Christmas period: The Christmas holiday was generally peaceful throughout Kosovo. A minor incident occurred on Christmas day when an Albanian man in Klina fired an AK-47 outside a Catholic Church during midnight mass. No injuries were reported, and UNMIK police confiscated the weapon.
Eight people were arrested during the 48 hours from December 25 to 27, mostly for criminal damage and illegal possession of weapons.
A 28-year-old woman from Prizren was allegedly kidnapped on Sunday morning by an unidentified Albanian citizen and returned unharmed later the same day. Also in Prizren, a decapitated male body was found Sunday 1.5 km north of Prizren and transported to the morgue for an autopsy.
Top UN official visits mine, lays plans for future production: Principal Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Jock Covey, inspected the Stary Trg mine yesterday and discussed its production potential with Kosovar miners and mine experts. The visit aimed to establish the condition of the mine and the challenges in bringing it back to full production. Mr. Covey was encouraged by the mine's potential for producing lead and zinc and said one of the first steps was to ensure the mine's safety conditions.
Traffic improves at Blace border crossing: Clearance activities by KFOR troops, coupled with mild weather over the past 24 hours, have improved traffic at the Blace border crossing. KFOR Commander, Lieutenant-General Klaus Rheinhardt, commended KFOR crews for their work to move the abandoned trucks that had been blocking the road between Pristina and the border.