Four detained in connection to Bytyqi case

Four detained in connection to Bytyqi case

The three had gone to fight with the KLA’s so-called Atlantic brigade, which included Kosovo Americans of ethnic Albanian origin.

Arrested after straying into southern Serbia in June 1999, the Bytyqis were sentenced to 15 days in prison. But they later were taken from detention and executed, allegedly by Serb police. Their bodies were dumped in a mass grave with the bodies of other Kosovo Albanians.

Four men are being investigated for their alleged roles in the killings, prosecutor's spokesman Bruno Vekarić told The Associated Press. He gave no other details.

The four were identified as a deputy Gendarmerie commander, Milenko Arsenijević, and three police officers.

The Beta news agency said the four previously testified at an ongoing trial of two Serb commandos already charged with the slaying.

U.S. authorities have put pressure on Serbia following the ouster of late ex-President Slobodan Milošević in 2000 to punish those responsible for the crime.

Vekarić said the probe will continue.

In-depth look at the case here.