Ex-Kosovo rebel army planned to engage in
terrorist acts - Montenegrin official
BBC Monitoring Europe (Political) - November 7, 2006, Tuesday
Excerpt from report by R.T. entitled "They invited KLA to set Malesija on
fire", published by Montenegrin newspaper Vijesti on 6 November
Podgorica - So far the investigation has confirmed suspicions that those
arrested on 9 and 10 September during the Eagle's Flight operation had formed a
secret organization whose objective was to set up regions in this area using
force. They intended to conduct several terrorist actions in the Malesija area
[area near Podgorica mostly inhabited by Albanians]. They were supposed to be
helped by former members of the KLA [Kosovo Liberation Army - UCK in Albanian]
who intended to cross the border illegally, collect hidden weapons and initiate
terrorist activities.
This is what Supreme State Prosecutor Vesna Medenica stated last night, after
deciding to remove the confidential tag from the case and publicize the
findings. According to the statement, she did this because "a groundless
discussion based on manipulation of pre-trial investigation facts was initiated
in media, creating a wrong picture regarding both how justified and how legal
the action was".
[Passage omitted: Previously reported details of the police action]
"The organization was extensively communicating in the area of Malesija, Albania
and Kosovo, remaining faithful to its goals. Thanks to this and to financial
help provided by members of the diaspora, they managed to procure significant
quantities of firearms, ammunition, military equipment, forged documents and
other things needed to launch violent terrorist actions.
"The organization established ties to some of the former KLA fighters and tried
to use this channel to procure weapons. The KLA members offered to directly lead
and command the terrorist actions in the Malesija area. The weapons were
carefully hidden in secret places and it was possible to collect and use them
immediately. They acquired the weapons through various smuggling channels.
During September 2006 they decided to start with violence, i.e. with terrorist
actions in the Karabusko Polje area in Malesija. The objective was to intimidate
the non-Albanian population and to seize vital facilities in the Tuzi area.
"They decided that the best time for this was immediately after the polling
stations were closed on 10 September, when the parliamentary elections and also
the municipal elections and the Podgorica city council elections were held in
Tuzi. They decided that the period immediately after the election was optimal as
far as the goals of the terrorist group were concerned.
"They reached an agreement with the former KLA members, who were supposed to
illegally cross into Malesija on 9 and 10 September 2006, hide there and lead
terrorist actions after the elections were over. They had very detailed action
plans.
"The public knows about the seized weapons, ammunition, equipment and other
confiscated objects. The Office of the Supreme State Prosecutor of the Republic
of Montenegro will continue to issue new statements that will help keep the
public informed," the statement issued by the supreme state prosecutor says.
Source: Vijesti, Podgorica, in Serbian 6 Nov 06
p9
Copyright 2006 British Broadcasting Corporation
Posted for Fair Use only.