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Kosovo police sets up special unit to investigate murder of Serbian politician

"Police will do its best to investigate this crime," the Kosovo police chief said

BELGRADE, January 17. /TASS/. Authorities of the unrecognized Kosovo Republic have set up a special police unit to investigate the murder of Kosovo Serb leader Oliver Ivanovic, Kosovo police chief Shpend Maxhuni said.

"A special unit was formed for the investigation," the official was quoted as saying by the Tanjug news agency. "Police will do its best to investigate this crime."

Earlier, the B92 news portal reported that investigators have sufficient information for establishing the owner of an Opel Astra car, presumably used by attackers. The car, with its license plates missing, was found ablaze several blocks away from the crime scene.

"The car has no license plates, but we were able to get enough information about the background and identity of its owner. I’m not authorized to give further details, but the information that we already have is sufficient for finding the owner," Maxhuni said.

Oliver Ivanovic, a leader of Kosovan Serbs and the head of the ‘Freedom, Democracy, Truth’ party was gunned down on Tuesday morning while entering his party’s office. The wounded politician was found by a neighbor who was returning from a shop. Ivanovic was rushed to a hospital in Kosovska Mitrovica with at least five gunshot wounds to the chest, but later succumbed to his injuries.

Representatives of international missions to Kosovo condemned Ivanovic’s murder and demanded bringing those responsible to justice as soon as possible. Russia said that the situation may bring about the atmosphere of terror and give rise to inter-ethnic conflicts in the region.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has already described Ivanovic’s murder as a terror attack against the entire people of Serbia.