Kosovo police arrest 4 Serbs, sparking protests in the north

Tensions in Kosovo rose again after police arrested three ethnic Serbs, including two police officers, early Friday on suspicion of involvement in the killing earlier this year of a leading Serb politician in the north of the country.

The three men were arrested in the Serb-dominated town of Mitrovica, 40 kilometers north of the capital, Pristina, as suspects in the January slaying of Oliver Ivanovic, police said in a statement.

A fourth Serb was arrested for resisting police. A fifth person is still at large, police said.

Police said they seized evidence for the investigation into Ivanovic's killing during raids in four locations. Police showed photos of a drone, automatic weapons and ammunition and other equipment found in the raids.

Prosecutor Syle Hoxha said they have questioned more than 40 witnesses to date in the case. Nobody has yet been charged in the slaying.

Thousands of Serbs protested in Kosovo towns, some blocking all main roads leading to Northern Mitrovica, as well as several border posts with Serbia. No violence was immediately reported.

Kosovo's ethnic Albanians fought a bloody war with Serbia from 1998-1999 which ended with a 78-day NATO air campaign in June 1999.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 which Belgrade still refuses to recognise.

Earlier this week, tensions soared after Kosovo failed to become a member of the international police organization, Interpol, following intense lobbying by Serbia. Kosovo slapped a 100 per cent tax on goods imported from Serbia in apparent retaliation.

Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj's Cabinet appealed for calm and said the police operation was not linked to any political development.

NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo, a force known as KFOR, also urged calm and said "there was no unlawful operation or military action and there has never been any threat to safety and security of the citizens."
KFOR said in a statement that the situation "remains stable and under control on the ground," but acknowledged rising tensions "at political level due to some international and economic developments."