Kosovo’s premier claims a Serbian criminal gang with government links was behind a September flareup

By ZENEL ZHINIPOTOKU and LLAZAR SEMINI
Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s prime minister is claiming that a criminal gang from northern Serbia with alleged links to the Belgrade government was behind a September attack in Kosovo that killed a police officer and involved a daylong gunbattle with Kosovo police that left three gunmen dead. Prime Minister Albin Kurti also claimed on Monday that Serbia’s Defense Minister Milos Vucevic allegedly heads the gang known as the “Novi Sad Clan,” named after the Serbian city of Novi Sad. He further compared Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to a mafia boss. Kurti offered no evidence to back his claims and did not elaborate. Belgrade swiftly dismissed the claims as “heinous and blatant lies.”