In a joint operation carried out by Kosovo’s security agencies on April 5 and 6, 2025, a total of 16 individuals were detained, traveling in four vehicles with license plates from Kragujevac, Serbia — among them, four active officers from Serbia’s security services.
Acting Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, stated that the arrested Serbs are suspected of having intended to gather intelligence on potential targets, as evidence was found linking them to Serbian military intelligence structures as well as to members of the terrorist group involved in the Banjska attack.
The first group, consisting of four individuals, was apprehended in Gjakova. During the vehicle search, the authorities found: photographs with the map of the Republic of Kosovo, photos of terrorists killed during the Banjska attack, two knives, an axe, and a rotating police light. Based on the prosecutor’s decision, the individuals were detained for 48 hours, Sveçla wrote on Facebook, as reported by KosovaPress.
The second group, consisting of 12 people, was arrested in Prizren while being sheltered at the Orthodox Theological Seminary. Among them were also two active officers from Serbian security services.
Preliminary investigations confirmed that one of the detainees, a Serbian police officer with the rank of lieutenant, has close family ties to Nemanja Radivojević, known by the nickname “Gandi,” a member of the Banjska terrorist group. He is a relative of Vladimir Radivojević, alias “Mami,” the main suspect in the killing of Kosovo police sergeant Afrim Bunjaku.
The other military officer, who holds the rank of first-class captain, is linked to former Serbian military intelligence general Jovan Milanović, known for his involvement in leaking NATO data prior to the alliance’s bombing campaign on Serbian targets.
The fact that they were sheltered at the Orthodox Theological Seminary may indicate an attempt to exploit religious institutions for cover or to provoke interethnic or interfaith tensions in Kosovo, using fabricated events to incite violent reactions or unrest, Sveçla stated.
He emphasized that the security institutions will continue the investigation and will keep the public informed of further developments.
“We urge citizens to report any suspicious activity and to cooperate closely with our security institutions,” Sveçla concluded.