Who is the Albanian suspect wanted by the police for the murder of a Serbian police officer in Loznica?

Who is the Albanian suspect wanted by the police for the murder of a Serbian police officer in Loznica?

The town of Loznica in Serbia is currently in a state of siege following the murder of a police officer and the wounding of another officer, who were shot around midnight last by a currently unidentified suspect, an ethnic Albanian from Kosovo. Strong forces of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) have been deployed in and around Loznica since last night, searching for the suspect Hajrizi Artan, whose Kosovo and German identification documents were found in the car from which the shots were fired.

The Kosovo Prime Minister and the Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued statements. While Kurti revealed he has no further information at the moment, saying that citizens should follow the ministry announcements, the Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs says they are monitoring the situation and gathering information based on Serbian reports, advising their citizens to avoid traveling through Serbia.

Meanwhile, Kosovo media are presenting different versions of who shot the 34-year-old Serbian police officer last night. The latest information suggests that the person whose documents were found in the car was not the perpetrator, but rather a known fugitive from Kosovo, who was in prison until about 10 days ago for the murder of a Russian soldier in 2000 and other serious crimes, including wounding Kosovo police officers.

Nikola Krsmanović, a 34-year-old member of the Serbian border police, succumbed to his injuries, while another officer was seriously wounded in last night’s shooting in Loznica.

According to information released this morning by the head of the Serbian MIA, the two officers pulled over a ‘Mercedes’ vehicle with Tutin license plates at a checkpoint in Lipnički Šor around 00:55. Two people were in the vehicle.

“As one person was exiting the vehicle, they fired a gun, hitting police officer N.K. (1990) in the chest and police officer V.I. (1974) in the shoulder, after which they fled. Both were transported to the General Hospital in Loznica, where Nikola Krsmanović succumbed to his injuries,” Ivica Dačić announced.

At the scene, the police found a Kosovo passport in the name of Hajrizi Artan (1991) and a German ID card with the same name.

The Serbian MIA released a photo of the suspect, and strong police forces from various units and regions are currently searching for him. Roads leading to Loznica are full of police, and the suspect is also being sought in the Republic of Srpska, report Belgrade media.

Meanwhile, the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Šabac announced that the driver of the car has been arrested and will be held for up to 48 hours.

Several high-ranking Serbian officials have strongly condemned the deadly attack on police officers, sending condolences to the bereaved family.

Official Pristina checks information

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti was asked today about last night’s tragic incident in Loznica, for which the main suspect is a man from Kosovo, during a press conference where he was presenting a new social scheme.

He stated that he only has information that has been publicly available since this morning and that there is no new information at the moment.

This is being handled by Kosovo security institutions and ministries, and citizens should pay attention to their announcements, he added.

“I received the information you mentioned this morning. I have nothing additional, but our security and police agencies are collecting information, and I asked you to pay attention to announcements from the Kosovo Police, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora in the coming hours,” Kurti said.

He emphasized that he expects this issue not to be politicized and for institutions to act professionally.

“I expect them to make professional statements because we believe this issue should not be politicized but treated from a security, legal, and professional standpoint,” he further stated.

The Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs say that they are closely monitoring events regarding this “incident” through the Liaison Office in Belgrade.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, through the Liaison Office in Belgrade, is closely monitoring events regarding the claims of Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić about the incident on the highway near Loznica in Serbia allegedly involving a citizen of the Republic of Kosovo. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora informs the public about this case and advises Kosovo emigrants and citizens to be more cautious when traveling through Serbia and, based on the situation, to avoid moving across Serbian territory,” they stated, as reported by Koha.

Kosovan media present different versions about the suspect and alleged false identity

Meanwhile, Kosovo media shared different versions of who actually shot the Serbian police officer in Loznica last night.

Moreover, since this morning, they have been linking the suspect to a well-known fugitive in Kosovo, Faton Hajrizi, who escaped from prison for the ninth time just over 10 days ago, where he was serving a sentence for the murder of a Russian soldier in 2000, committed at the age of 15, and several other serious crimes, including wounding police officers in Kosovo.

Some media outlets reported that he was with the suspect in the car last night, claiming even that he was the one who actually fired the shots, allegedly using his brother H.A.’s documents.

These are initial findings from Klan Kosova.

This Pristina media first reported that Faton Hajrizi and Artan Hajrizi are brothers and that both were in the car with Tutin registration plates last night.

In the news piece, updated since this morning, a new piece of information was later published that, according to their findings, the suspect was not even in the car, but rather Faton Hajrizi was traveling using his documents.

“Artan Hajrizi is the brother of Faton Hajrizi, who escaped from Smrekovnica prison on July 6. Initially, it was reported that the suspect Artan Hajrizi was traveling in a Mercedes taxi with another person, who was said to be Faton, his brother. However, Klan Kosova now learns that Artan was not in the car at all, only Faton, with Artan’s passport. Faton was with a taxi driver who, according to Serbian media, has been detained by the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Loznica,” writes Klan.

Nacionale even publishes claims, allegedly from the brothers’ father, who supposedly said that Artan Hajrizi has been working in Germany for many years and that Faton took his passport.

In a video call with Insajderi, supposedly from a police station in Germany, Artan Hajrizi, whom Serbian authorities are searching for, allegedly reacted.

According to this portal, he went to the police station in Germany to give a statement about the murder in Serbia, claiming that he did not commit it and was not in Serbia.
He allegedly also said that his documents found in the car in Loznica were stolen by „his brother, Faton Hajrizi.“

He claims, the same portal writes, that his brother took the documents when he recently visited him with friends and that he did not even know they were stolen. He also reportedly stated that he has never had problems with the law.

None of this information has been officially confirmed yet. Ivica Dačić stated that they are working on determining if the person who killed the police officer is the one on the documents or his brother. The Minister of Police also expressed suspicion that it was a terrorist act.

Nikola Krsmanović was born on March 6, 1990. He was a police officer at the Trbušnica Border Police Station and had been employed with the MIA since 2009.

He graduated from the Secondary School of Internal Affairs in Sremska Kamenica and was a member of the Belgrade Gendarmerie Unit from 2012 to 2023.

Krsmanović was not married. He is survived by his father, mother, and sister with her family.