Albanian police

Albanian Interior Minister Sajmir Tahiri told parliament that he does not intend to resign and called on the General Prosecutor to investigate oposition claims about his alleged crime links to drugs smugglers.

The opposition claims Tahiri has links to drug dealers and that the police have been infiltrated by criminal elements that protect the drug traffic routes.

Albanian police have demolished a contested church dedicated to St Athanas in the southern village of Dhermi, angering the Orthodox Church and neighbouring Greece, which supports the Church's mission.

The Orthodox Church called it a vandalistic act of desecration and a violation of church property. Greece said the Albanians were behaving like Islamist extremists.

Albania’s socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama seems to be inflaming the relations between Greece and his country, after posting a provocative tweet on his account regarding Greece’s official complaint about the demolition of a Greek-Orthodox Church and skirmishes between locals and Albanian authorities.

Albanian police announced on Wednesday they had busted a gang of hitmen run by a prisoner serving a life sentence in jail.

Albanian police on Wednesday arrested Baki Coku, saying he was the subject of an international warrant issued by Interpol Roma and was suspected of belonging to an organization "whose goal was to carry terrorist acts.

"His arrest was carried out with the aim of extradition [to Italy] and was part of an international anti-terror operation," the Albanian police added.  

Arben Frroku is believed to have fled Albania following the Serious Crimes Court's first instance ruling on April 3rd, which found him not guilty of the murder of a policeman.

Genc Gjokutaj, his lawyer, said that the court had been under political pressure and he would appeal to the Supreme Court.

Police arrested eight people overnight on June 27 in connection with a deadly shootout in an Albanian village known as a ?cannabis kingdom? for its industrial-scale production of the drug.

Albanian police have continued combing the village of Lazarat, conducting house-to-house searches to find members of the armed group that on Wednesday killed 31-year-old special forces officer Ibrahim Basha in an ambush.

Since the operation started on Wednesday, police have detained dozens of suspects, mostly young man, for questioning by prosecutors.

12 members of a group that on Wednesday morning opened fire at the Albanian police, killing one officer and wounding two others, have been arrested.

The incidents happened in the Albanian village of Lazarat, "known as a 'cannabis kingdom' for its industrial-scale production of the drug," AFP reported.

Tirana was shocked on Wednesday by a multiple murder in the city. Police said that Mentor Lufi, 39 and Gerti Goxhaj, 32, had just entered their BMW car at 7.20pm when two suspected assassins opened fire, killing them both.