Albanian Police Kill Gunman in Greek-Populated Village

Albanian police said Kostandinos Kacifa, 35, a citizen of Albania and Greece, was shot dead by officers who were attempting to arrest him after he fired on a police patrol in the ethnic Greek-populated village of Bularat in south Albania on Sunday.

The incident happened during celebrations in the village to mark 'Oxi Day', a Greek national holiday.

After Kacifa opened fire on the political patrol car, police special forces were deployed, pursuing him to a nearby mountain.

Police said he disobeyed orders to surrender and instead opened fire. A Kalashnikov and a bag of bullets were retrieved from the scene.  

"RENEA forces responded and during the resulting exchange of fire, K.K. was killed," police said in a press release.

No motives were offered but Albanian and Greek media have speculated that Kacifa was a nationalist, and have published a photo of him wearing Greek military fatigues.

The Greek Foreign Ministry expressed regret about the death and urged Albania to investigate the circumstances.

"It is unacceptable that the operation led to the loss of human life. We are waiting for the Albanian authorities to provide complete clarification about the conditions in which the Greek citizen lost his life, and we will proceed with all necessary action immediately," it said.

The Albanian Foreign Ministry responded by saying that it was unacceptable to politicize the incident.

"This was an extremist aggression against Albanian State Police," the ministry said.

"This was an isolated incident, Albania is a safe country for all its citizens, including those of Greek nationality," it added.

Albania Prime Minister Edi Rama also commented on the case, addressing Athens on Twitter.

"Dear neighbours," he...