All Serbs arrested in Babin Most released, house searches stopped

Serbian Press Agency SRNA, Bijeljina, 04-01-2007 13:11:38

 

PRISTINA - Sasa Simic, the fourth Serb from Babin Most near Obilic to be arrested yesterday as part of an investigation into the killing of a Kosovo policeman Avni Kosumi, was freed last night, confirmed Obilic municipality coordinator Mirce Jakovljevic.

 

Jakovljevic said that the situation in the village is calm, adding that late last night the commander of the Kosovo Police Service headquarters in Obilic Sejdi Zeciri informed local residents of Babin Most that searches of houses were completed.

 

According to Jakovljevic, Zeciri advised local residents to submit requests for compensation of damages to their buildings and property by special forces troops.

 

Sources in the Kosovo police information service in Pristina advised that the order to stop searching the houses in Babin Most came after the intervention of the Coordinating Center for Kosovo and Metohija and warnings by local residents that if searches continued they may collectively leave.

 

KPS member Avni Kosumi was killed early Wednesday morning on the road from Pristina to Kosovska Mitrovica while in his vehicle.

 

KPS spokesman Veton Elshani said that the policeman was not killed in an ambush or an attack but by a stray bullet.

 

After the event, special forces of UNMIK and the KPS searched houses in Babin Most and arrested four Serbs, which resulted in protests and bitterness among the local residents of the village.

 

The Coordinating Center for Kosovo and Metohija's Press Center accused members of the KPS of taking advantage of the death of the policeman in order to mistreat Serbs.