Five young men who had traveled from Tirana and Kavaja were arrested in the village of Gjashtë in Saranda after they were caught with two pistols, ammunition and a silencer.
The police operation was codenamed “Silencer” because, according to police, the group is suspected of preparing to carry out an assassination.
Të lidhura
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The two main suspects arrested are Sidorel Moriseni, 32, a resident of Tirana, and Alfred Kaja, 26, a resident of Kavaja, both of whom have criminal records.
According to police, they were caught in the act near a bar as they were removing the two firearms, ammunition and silencer from a vehicle.
According to the preliminary investigation, the group had set up an ambush in an unlit area and was waiting for the right moment to carry out a murder.
The other three people, who are suspected of accompanying them, were apprehended in a second vehicle. They are Vitrin Hoxha, 20, a resident of Kavaja; Vonis Poka, 31, a resident of Tirana; and Franko Bobja, 21, a resident of Kavaja.
Sources close to the investigation said the suspects were apprehended in an alley near the home of businessman Rexhep Ismaili, who was killed on May 7 at his bar in Qafë Gjashtë. The killing of the 66-year-old shocked Saranda.
Ismaili, who was also chairman of the “Çamëria” Association, was shot dead with a bullet to the head during an armed confrontation at his bar.
The investigation found that he was not the target of the attack but was killed after intervening to protect Viktor Ruci, a person with a criminal record.
Investigators are currently working to determine whether the group’s presence in the area is connected to the May 7 incident or was merely a coincidence. So far, none of those arrested has made a statement regarding the suspected target.
