Jovan Viqentijeviq, Dragisha Viqentijeviq and Igor Dimoviq, arrested in connection with the attack on the Ibër-Lepenc canal in Varagë, Zubin Potok, on November 29, 2024, have declared that they are not guilty of the criminal offenses they are charged with.
At the hearing held on Thursday at the Basic Court in Prishtina, the two Viqentijeviq brothers and Igor Dimoviq rejected responsibility for damaging the canal, an act which, according to the indictment, was aimed at seriously endangering water and electricity supplies for part of Kosovo and which, it says, was planned in Serbia.
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Before Judge Vesel Ismajli, they stated that they understood the contents of the indictment, but pleaded not guilty.
Following these statements, the case prosecutor, Bekim Kodraliu, said he has sufficient evidence which, according to him, proves the opposite of what the Viqentijeviq brothers and Dimoviq claimed.
In his opening statement, he presented material evidence, including footage, which he said supports the indictment and shows beyond dispute the guilt of the three accused.
“This indictment is not just about an ordinary criminal offense. It concerns an organized and well-planned attack against the critical infrastructure of the Republic of Kosovo, infrastructure vital to supplying citizens with drinking water and to the functioning of the country’s energy system. Based on the evidence that will be presented before you, it will be established that on November 29, 2024, the defendants Jovan and Dragisha Viçentijeviq, together with other persons not yet identified, following a prior agreement, placed a considerable quantity of military explosives, around 20 kilograms of TNT, in the Ibër-Lepenc canal, causing serious material damage, interrupting the water supply and seriously endangering electricity supply in part of the country. Therefore, for these actions as well, the prosecution charges the defendants with the criminal offense of endangering the constitutional order, destruction or damage of public installations and equipment, in connection with the criminal offense of committing a terrorist act, in co-perpetration. Likewise, during searches carried out on the defendants’ properties, a large quantity of weapons, ammunition, grenades, military communication devices, military uniforms and other equipment were found and seized, the possession of which was contrary to the law in force. As a result, they are also charged with the criminal offense of unauthorized ownership, control or possession of weapons,” Kodraliu said, KosovaPress reports.
Further, Kodraliu said that the Prosecution will also present investigative findings carried out in cooperation with the FBI of the United States of America, as well as scientific evidence secured by the Italian police.
“Honorable trial panel, the evidence that will be presented during this judicial review consists of: Kosovo Police reports, forensic technician reports, expert analyses of the Kosovo Forensic Agency, DNA analyses, expert assessments by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States of America – FBI, expert assessments by the Scientific Police of the Republic of Italy, with offices in Rome, reports of the competent authorities, explosive analyses including that of American KFOR, analyses of electronic devices, material evidence, documentation secured during the searches, as well as other evidence which, taken together, create an uninterrupted logical chain linked to the facts presented in the indictment,” Kodraliu said, KosovaPress reports.
According to him, the attack on the Ibër-Lepenc canal was not a random or isolated act, but part of an organized, planned and coordinated activity, with the sole aim of striking Kosovo’s critical infrastructure and national security. He added that preparations for this attack were carried out in Serbia, in a place called “Pasuljanske Livade.”
“The prosecution will present evidence before you which, in our assessment, shows that the attack on the Ibër-Lepenc canal represents a continuation of a series of serious attacks that over the past three years have aimed to undermine the legal order and national security. According to the evidence we have secured and will present before you, this attack represents the fourth attack of this nature, following earlier events that directly undermined the country’s institutions and security. The prosecution will also present concrete evidence before you regarding the training and preparations which, according to the evidence, were carried out at the Serbian military training ground called ‘Pasuljanske Livade’ in the Republic of Serbia, where it is now suspected that there was a mass grave. All of this was part of preparations for unlawful activities against the state of the Republic of Kosovo. And from the evidence we have secured, which will be presented before you, and from evidence from earlier cases, it is established that the Serbian government had a key role in these preparations,” he said, KosovaPress writes.
The Ibër-Lepenc canal was damaged by an explosive blast on November 29, 2024, near the village of Varagë in Zubin Potok. The explosion caused major damage to the canal’s structure, putting water supply and the functioning of the energy sector at risk.
After the incident, Kosovo institutions took emergency measures to repair the damage and managed to stabilize the water flow within a short time, avoiding long supply interruptions.
Kosovo authorities described the case as a terrorist attack on critical infrastructure, while the Kosovo Police, in cooperation with the Special Prosecution and international partners, immediately launched investigations to identify the perpetrators and the motives behind the attack. The case was also condemned by Kosovo’s international partners, who called for the incident to be fully clarified and for those responsible to be brought to justice.
Just one day after the attack, Kosovo Police arrested eight people during raids carried out at 10 locations in the north of the country, where weapons, ammunition, explosives, military uniforms and other equipment were seized, while on December 1, 2024, the now-accused Jovan Viçentijeviq was also arrested.
