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Kosovo police arrest six opposition activists over blast

A police statement said those believed to have
A police statement said those believed to have

© AFP/File Armend Nimani

Pristina (AFP) - Kosovo police arrested six opposition party activists Tuesday over a grenade fired at parliament, one of several recent attacks that have rattled the capital ahead of a controversial parliamentary vote.

A police statement said those believed to have "planned, organised and executed the attack" were arrested in raids on six locations in Pristina, during which three automatic rifles and other weapons were seized.

Visar Ymeri, leader of the main opposition Self-Determination party, confirmed that those arrested were activists from his party, including party spokesman Frasher Krasniqi.

The attack on August 4 caused material damage but no injuries.

It was followed by a similar attack on August 22, when another grenade was thrown in the courtyard of the Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK) headquarters, and a blast on Sunday in the RTK chief's backyard.

The two later attacks were claimed by the shadowy Rugovasit group, which opposes a controversial border agreement with Montenegro on which parliament is due to vote on Thursday.

An agreement on the border is crucial to Kosovo's bid to win visa-free travel in the European Union and further integration with the bloc, but opponents say the agreement will see Kosovo lose thousands of hectares of land.

The Self-Determination party firmly opposes the deal and has called a street rally against Thursday's vote. In recent months its MPs have repeatedly released tear gas in parliament to protest against the agreement.

Ymeri blasted the government as a "regime of mobsters and criminals" following his colleagues' arrests.

A statement from the EU office in Kosovo released Monday expressed concern "about the cycle of violence in Kosovo becoming more and more serious".

On August 9, a hand grenade was also planted on a balcony of the head of Kosovo's demarcation commission, but police safely detonated the device.

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