On July 18, 2024, a Serbian police officer was killed and another was seriously injured around 00:55 in the western Serbian city of Loznica, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The suspect, a Kosovar who had escaped from prison in Kosovo weeks earlier, was reportedly killed after several hours of being chased. However, some officials and Serbian media tried to politicize the incident, claiming that the attack on the Serbian police officers was orchestrated by Kosovar structures.
The news of the Serbian police officer's death was initially confirmed by Serbia's Minister of Internal Affairs, Ivica Dačić. He emphasized that a passport belonging to a Kosovar named Artan Hajrizi was found at the scene. However, the perpetrator was actually Faton Hajrizi, who had attempted to cross the border between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina using his brother's documents.
Initially, Artan Hajrizi was suspected of committing the crime. However, he later appeared in various media outlets denying his involvement, stating that he was in Germany. He explained that after Faton Hajrizi escaped from prison in Kosovo, he came to his apartment and stole his documents, some of which were found at the scene of the murder.
Ivica Daçiq, who called the incident a terrorist act and attempted to link it to the structures of the Kosovar state, explained how the murder occurred at the Lipnički Šor checkpoint. The suspect was in a Mercedes car with Tutin license plates and was accompanied by another person, the driver. According to the statement from the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the suspect fired a weapon, hitting police officer Nikola Kršmanović in the chest and police officer Vjekoslav Ilić in the shoulder. The officers were then transported to the Loznica Hospital, where Kršmanović succumbed to his injuries.
While the police were still in pursuit of the perpetrator, Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Daçiq, politicized the incident by blaming Kosovo, specifically "Albanian structures," for orchestrating the attack.
"This cannot be an accident, and the case will be handled by the organized crime prosecutor's office, as the officers were attacked while on duty," Dačić stated.
Dačić continued to politicize the situation, emphasizing that "The consequence of this terrorist act and organization is the killing of a police officer, and for this, we demand and expect full cooperation with the German police and EULEX, not lies that no one believes."
Aleksandar Vuçiq also reacted, saying, "I was extremely shocked by the news of the death of Officer Nikola Kršmanović, who was killed in a cowardly attack while honorably performing his difficult duty."
Meanwhile, Petar Petković, the director of the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian government, criticized Kosovo's Interior Minister, Xhelal Sveçla, saying that Sveçla is always conspicuously silent when Serbs suffer. "He hasn't said a single word about last night's killing of the Serbian police officer on duty in Loznica."
Claims that Kurti is causing chaos in Serbia
In line with statements from some Serbian politicians, media outlets there published articles with headlines such as "Kurti sent terrorists to create chaos in Serbia." Similar reports were seen in other media close to the Serbian government, such as Srpski Telegraf, Alo.rs, Novosti.rs.
Photo: Srpski Telegraf
Serbian media gave significant attention to the statement by the former Director of the Kosovo Correctional Service, Emrush Thaçi, who said that "Hajrizi might cause other casualties or commit suicide, but he 'will not be captured by the Serbian police.'"
Following the news of Hajrizi's death on Friday afternoon, Serbian media released footage that was also shared by media outlets in Kosovo. According to reports in Serbian media, he was killed in an abandoned factory not far from the location where he is suspected of killing police officer Nikola Kršmanović and wounding another.
What was said in Kosovo?
On the day the Serbian police officer's death was reported, Prime Minister Albin Kurti held a press conference in Prishtina, where he addressed the killing of the Serbian officer.
He urged that the case not be politicized and stated that security agencies were gathering information about the incident in Loznica, Serbia, where the Serbian police officer was killed.
"I don't have anything additional to add, but the security agencies are gathering information, and I would urge you to closely follow the statements from the Police, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I also expect them to provide their professional statements, as we believe this issue should not be politicized but addressed as it is, from a security, legal, and professional standpoint," said Kurti.
Serbia and Kosovo do not have cooperation for information exchange in such cases.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora (MFAD) has advised caution when traveling through Serbia or to avoid traveling altogether.
Photo: MFAD
Two weeks ago, Faton Hajrizi, escaped from the Smrekonica Prison. This marks the ninth time he has escaped from prisons in Kosovo, and he has spent almost the entire post-war period incarcerated. Hajrizi was initially convicted for the murder of a Russian soldier in Skenderaj and later for several attempted murders and armed robberies. After his most recent escape from Smrekonica Prison, he made public appearances on social media, mocking and accusing Kosovo officials, including the Interior Minister, Xhelal Sveçla.
*This article is published as part of the Western Balkans Regional Initiative against disinformation. “Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub: exposing malign influences through watchdog journalism.”
