Alarm After Arsenal Found in Mitrovica: Former Investigator Calls for In-Depth Probe into the Origin and Purpose of Military Equipment

A routine Kosovo Police patrol on Zoran Gjingjiq Street in Mitrovica discovered uniforms and concealed military equipment inside a sewer pit. The discovery prompted an immediate response from former investigator Agim Rexhepi, who stressed in an interview with “Bota sot” that the case should not be treated as an ordinary police incident.

Rexhepi said the discovery in northern Mitrovica was a development warranting close attention from the security authorities. According to him, the presence of uniforms and military equipment hidden in a manhole was no coincidence and signaled the need for an urgent analysis.

Avoiding any prejudgment, the former investigator added that only the investigative process could determine who had stored the materials and what was planned for them. However, he raised a series of critical questions that must be answered: “The question should not only be what the police found, but who obtained this equipment, where it came from, when it was placed there, who had access to it, and for what purpose it was hidden.” He also insisted on the need to establish whether the equipment had previously been used or had any links to past illegal activities.

Furthermore, Rexhepi argued that the case should not be viewed in isolation. He called for a comparative analysis of all previous similar incidents to identify possible links and build a complete picture of the situation. “The security institutions must be one step ahead, not behind events,” he said, stressing the need to strengthen intelligence gathering, monitoring of sensitive areas, and cooperation among institutions and with international partners.

Rexhepi went on to warn against panic and the stigmatization of any community, while calling for a firm and professional approach to any illegal activity. He emphasized that the investigation should focus on the individuals responsible, networks, and concrete facts. If the equipment proves to have simply been abandoned, the investigation should clarify that. But if links emerge to organized activities or preparations for actions that endanger public safety, the institutions must respond immediately and with the full force of the law.

Concluding his message, Rexhepi urged that the case not be underestimated. He stressed that public safety is also measured by how quickly institutions determine the origin, ownership, and purpose of such equipment, as well as whether it is part of a wider network. “The equipment has been found. Now it is the institutions’ task to find the answers,” he concluded, describing the case as a wake-up call for greater coordination, preventive intelligence, and institutional professionalism so that every warning sign is treated with the seriousness it deserves.