UN police hold suspect in connection with murder of local official in Kosovo

Following a deadly attack which marred an otherwise peaceful climate as elections were held in Kosovo over the weekend, United Nations police in the province are holding a suspect in connection with the murders, a spokesman for the world body announced today.

The polling on Saturday “proceeded without any incidents of election-related violence,” but on Sunday, the calm was shattered when the President of the Municipal Assembly in Suhareke/Suva Reka, Uke Bytici, and two other people were shot dead in that municipality.

“UN Police have a suspect in custody and are continuing their investigation into the killings,” spokesman Fred Eckhard told reporters in New York. “At this time, it is unclear whether the killings were politically motivated, or whether any other people besides the suspect in custody were involved.”

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Kosovo, Michael Steiner, on Sunday denounced the killings as “an appalling act of calculated murder,” and extended his condolences to President Ibrahim Rugova.

Early returns from Kosovo’s municipal elections show that an estimated 54 per cent of all registered voters, including nearly 58 percent of people voting inside the province itself, cast ballots. Final results are expected by 2 November.