Terrorism in the Republic of Macedonia

Steinmeier told a joint press conference with his Albanian counterpart, Ditmir Bushati, in Berlin that Albania's call for an international probe was justified.

"Last week's incident scared Europe. We hope the situation will not escalate and the authorities in Macedonia will make efforts towards a full and transparent investigation," he said. 

Several hundred people gathered in Pristina on Wednesday to protest against the way the Kosovo government has reacted to the crisis in Macedonia after the shootings in Kumanovo.

The protesters included family members of the Kosovars who were killed or arrested in the police raid on Kumanovo two weeks ago.

Macedonian authorities have cut the number of the members of the armed group killed by police forces in Kumanovo last week, MIA news agency reported.

Macedonia and Kosovo have established exchanges of information on verifying the identities of the victims and those who were arrested in Kumanovo last weekend during the Macedonian police action.

The Macedonian Interior Ministry has established that a number of those involved in the fighting were citizens of Kosovo.

One of the leaders of a terrorist group that last week clashed with Macedonian police in Kumanovo has voiced accusations against that country's secret service.

CONSEQUENCES OF KUMANOVO ATTACK Macedonian ministers, head of intelligence service resign

Macedonian Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska, Minister of Transport Mile Janasijeski, and head of the intelligence service Saso Mijalkov have resigned.

On the back of perceived terrorist threats to the region, the head of NOVA, the main pro-Serbian party in Montenegro's parliament, on Tuesday called for the country to restore compulsory military service.

Andrija Mandic expressed concern that the recent violence in Macedonia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina could spread to the entire region.

Members of the armed group that surrendered after clashes with Macedonian police in Kumanovo over the weekend have admitted they had been involved in an earlier attack on a police station in the village of Gosince, Macedonian news agency MIA reported on Tuesday.

EU wants Kumanovo clashes investigated before it acts

BRUSSELS -- The European Commission has stressed that the clash "between the police and armed persons in Kumanovo must be appropriately clarified."

This must happen "before the EU acts in this regard," the Beta news agency reported from Brussels on Tuesday.

Terrorists "planned to blow up bridge in Skopje"

SKOPJE -- The terrorist group that last weekend carried out an attack in Kumanovo, northern Macedonia, "planned to blow up one of the main bridges in Skopje."

This was reported on Tuesday by the Macedonian website vecer.mk, which said the information was revealed by one of the captured terrorists.