"Jihad suspects" under house arrest in Kosovo

"Jihad suspects" under house arrest 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 pose jeopardy to national security and protection of constitutional order.

The large-scale operation included all the local police departments in Kosovo and resulted in 60 searches and seizure of a large quantity of physical evidence, like firearms, explosives, electronic devices and passports.

During the first hearing, five indictees admitted to having visited Syria but they denied the claims that they took part in the clashes or acted as part of a terrorist organization. The other arrestees denied the accusations that they were involved in terrorist organizations of Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front.

At the request by the Kosovo Special Prosecutor's Office, the Special Court remanded the suspects in detention for the duration of 30 days.