In the Bosniak Mahala neighborhood of northern Mitrovica, two vehicles with Serbian license plates had their tires slashed this evening. The Kosovo Police are currently questioning four individuals in connection with the incident. One of the vehicle owners reported to KoSSev that he personally witnessed a group of young men vandalizing the tires.
Following the incident, Kosovo Police blocked a street in Bosniak Mahala, specifically the one where the vandalism occurred. This prompted nearby Serbian residents to gather outside their apartment building. Prior to their arrival, a group of younger individuals, reportedly of Albanian nationality, was already present in the area.
Residents of Nemanjina Street reported to KoSSev that they observed at least four police vehicles and several officers, some armed with long guns, positioned between the Serbian residents and approximately fifteen younger individuals identified as Albanians.
Some of the gathered Serbs expressed their concerns to the police regarding „provocations from the Albanian side.“ According to their accounts, one officer responded, „They are not provoking, they will leave now.“
Despite this, the group of Albanians did not disperse immediately, and police were seen engaging in discussions with both sides, as reported by witnesses.
Veton Eljshani, Deputy Commander of the Kosovo Police for the North, confirmed to KoSSev that a small gathering of individuals had assembled, reportedly outraged by the alleged placement of an unknown sticker on the KLA monument in this multiethnic neighborhood. However, he noted that the group eventually dispersed, stating that „everything is fine now.“
Eljshani mentioned that the police were unaware of who placed the sticker. „We don’t know what happened. When we arrived, someone had already removed it, leaving a blank surface,“ he said.
Regarding the slashed tires, one tire was punctured on each of the two Serbian-owned vehicles belonging to nearby residents. Eljshani clarified that the Kosovo Police were not present during either the sticker placement or the tire vandalism.
When asked if the police had identified the individuals responsible for the tire slashing, Eljshani confirmed that an investigation is underway. He stated that four individuals had been taken to the police station for questioning in relation to the incident.
„We will look into the damage and see who was there. We are doing our job… Four individuals are in the station, and we are questioning them about the vehicles,“ he said, noting that he did not connect the two incidents.
Kostić: I Watched Them Slashing My Tires
While police are still determining who slashed the tires, one of the victims, Nenad Kostić, a resident of Bosniak Mahala, told KoSSev that the act was allegedly carried out by a group that gathered this evening.
„I watched from my terrace as they punctured the tires on my car and my neighbor’s. I saw a group of about 15 young men loitering around. They first slashed my neighbor’s tire, then mine. I shouted at them in both Albanian and Serbian, but they just moved about ten meters away,“ Kostić recounted.
He mentioned that the Kosovo Police arrived shortly after, but their officers „could do nothing“: „The police seemed frightened; they could barely disperse them. The group just stood there calmly, as if nothing had happened,“ he said.
Kostić confirmed that he reported the incident to the police but noted that it seemed to have „no effect.“ „Clearly, it serves no purpose given how the officers behave toward them,“ he added.
Northern Mitrovica remains under the watch of numerous security cameras, which are now managed by the Kosovo Police.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
