"Jihad suspects" under house arrest in Kosovo

"Jihad suspects" under house arrest in Kosovo

PRIŠTINA -- The imam of the El-Kuddus Mosque in Gnjilane, Zekerija Cazimi, 34, has been placed under house arrest by the Basic Court in Priština.

He was arrested last week on suspicion of being "one of the chief instigators of Jihad in Kosovo."

The court also placed another suspect, 27-year-old Liridon Kabasi from the village of Polac in the Srbica municipality, northern Kosovo, under house arrest.

The Basic Court made the decision to put the two men under house arrest after dismissing a request from the prosecutor's office that the suspects be placed in custody, the Pristina media reported on Monday.

According to media reports, Cazimi and Kabasi were arrested on August 14 on suspicion of having committed terrorism-related crimes - recruiting for terrorism, organizing of, and participating in, terrorist groups and inciting to ethnic, racial or religious hatred and intolerance.

The Kosovo Police Service did not find Cazimi in his house during the search, locating him hidden in a vehicle in the nearby mountainous area, while the second suspect was found at his place of residence.

In the action, the police seized material evidence and the suspects arrested at a warrant issued by a prosecutor of the Special Prosecutor's Office were remanded in a 48-hour police detention.

On August 11, the Kosovo police arrested 40 individuals from Kosovo on suspicion that they took part in the clashes in Syria and Iraq and supported terrorist organizations.

The arrested individuals come from Priština, Pec, Gnjilane, Uroševac, Prizren and Kosovska Mitrovica. The suspects were arrested as the authorities estimated that their actions...