Two Serbian nationals who were detained in Prizren on Sunday have been released after 48 hours in custody, the local prosecutor’s office confirmed to Kosovo-based media. The pair were part of a group of 12 individuals taken in for questioning, 10 of whom were released the same day.
Despite their release, authorities stated that legal proceedings are ongoing.
In a statement to Kallxo.com, the Prizren Prosecutor’s Office said that “there is currently no grounded suspicion,” the legal standard required to request custody or impose other measures to ensure the defendants’ presence during the proceedings.
„After 48 hours of detention, the prosecutor reviewed all the evidence and circumstances presented during the initial phase of the investigation. Based on this independent and professional assessment, it was concluded that the legal standard of grounded suspicion is not currently met,“ the office said.
Serbia’s public broadcaster RTS also reported the release, citing confirmation from defense attorneys.
Attorney Dejan Vasić said the prosecutor acted appropriately by accepting the defense’s position that there was no basis to continue the criminal proceedings.
„This does not mean the case is completely closed, but the prosecutor has dropped the request for custody, which we, as the defense, are satisfied with. They will be released today, and I hope the proceedings will be concluded very soon,“ Vasić told RTS.
Defense lawyer Jovana Filipović emphasized that the detained men were only visiting monasteries. “They were released to defend themselves while free, and I hope the rest of the proceedings will be equally successful,” Filipović said.
The two men were among 12 people detained in Prizren on Sunday. While most were released the same day, the pair remained in custody for an additional 48 hours.
According to Vesel Gashi, spokesperson for the Kosovo Police in the Prizren region, the two were detained for allegedly falsely presenting themselves as officials of Serbia’s Ministry of Interior, despite lacking identification.
Kosovo’s Minister of Interior, Xhelal Sveçla, claimed that the group included active members of Serbian security services who were allegedly „collecting information about possible targets“ and had links to the group responsible for the Banjska attack. He further stated that 16 people in total were detained over the weekend in Prizren and Đakovica, across four vehicles with Kragujevac license plates.
The Kosovo government accused Serbia of attempts to destabilize the region, describing the arrests as part of a broader pattern of “criminal interventions.”
They claimed that among those detained were a Serbian police lieutenant and an army captain. Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani echoed those concerns in talks with U.S. officials, citing alleged connections between the detainees and Serbian military intelligence and the Banjska group.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, meanwhile, rejected the allegations, saying the individuals had traveled to Kosovo to visit Orthodox sites in Prizren. He called the arrests a continuation of “terror” against Serbs and accused Kosovo authorities of unjust persecution.
The Eparchy of Raška and Prizren confirmed that while the individuals had stayed overnight at the Seminary’s guest quarters, no arrests were made on church premises. The Church also strongly refuted suggestions that the pilgrims had used religious institutions as cover for intelligence operations.
The incident followed another arrest just a day earlier. On Saturday, four Serbs were detained in Đakovica and later remanded into 30-day custody.
According to the Kosovo Police and Đakovica’s prosecution office, the group was initially stopped for speeding. A subsequent vehicle search allegedly uncovered two knives and an axe—classified as “cold weapons” by authorities.
Serbia’s Office for Kosovo and Metohija also condemned the actions as “legal violence” and a violation of religious freedoms.
The Office named the individuals still held as P. K., M. S., B. R., and N. V. in Đakovica, while also revealing the initials of the two Serbian nationals, who were arrested in Prizren and released today, as L. S. and S. R.
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