ANOTHER ATTACK IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA: Serb stabbed in chest and back

A 23-year-old Serb, whose initials are N.D., was attacked and seriously wounded late last night in the village of Priluzje in northern Kosovo.

Radio Kontakt Plus is reporting this, adding that the young Serb was taken to the hospital in northern Kosovska Mitrovica with stab wounds.

The victim's brother was also injured when he was attacked with pepper spray, the radio said it learned unofficially.

Deputy Director of the Clinical-Hospital Center Kosovska Mitrovica Dr. Zlatan Erak told the broadcaster that the man arrived at around 05:00 hours CET on Thursday, and is currently in intensive care, having suffered serious stab wounds to his chest and back.

According to Erak, the victim was in a stable condition as of Thursday morning.

Priiluzje is one of the largest Serb villages in northern Kosovo.

So far the motive and the perpetrators of the attack are officially unknown.

Meanwhile, villagers told journalists that N.D. came under attack when he and several of his relatives left a cafe, and were caught up by a car. According to this, the occupants of the car asked them "a short question in Albanian," and then exited the car, pepper-spraying the Serbs, and attacking one of them with a knife.

The locals suspect that the attackers were Albanians, who fled in their car after stabbing the victim several times.

Kosovo public broadcaster RTK 2 reported late on Thursday that one suspect has been arrested for attacking the Serb man.

The suspect is of Albanian ethnicity and the motive for the crime is being investigated, RTS said.

This was one in a series of recent incidents in Kosovo targeting local Serbs.

(b92.net)