Ervin Karamuço, a criminology expert, has revealed details regarding the detention of lawmakers from North Macedonia at the Qafë Thanë border crossing, explaining that this measure is not directly related to the protests in Albania, but rather to suspicions that Albanian institutions have long held about extremist activity.
He said these individuals have long been under the watch of the Albanian authorities, while one of them is suspected of being financed by countries that, according to him, are not friendly toward Albania.
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“This is not the first case. These people have repeatedly been warned by our institutions about their activity. One of them is suspected of receiving funding from several countries that are not friendly toward Albania in order to activate extremist elements in North Macedonia. They are individuals who have come and taken part in protests in Albania. On the last two occasions, some of them were even declared ‘non grata,’ and one of them even had an American passport,” Karamuço said on the program “Real Story.”
He further underlined that, according to information held by the institutions, the activity of these people is linked to networks financed from the Middle East.
“It is not directly related to the protest, but to the ongoing activity of some religious extremist elements in North Macedonia, financed with suspicious money from the Middle East, which is deposited into several associations there. These are people who are considered a real danger and who have long been monitored by Albanian institutions,” he declared.
Karamuço also expressed concern about the climate toward Albanians in North Macedonia, drawing attention to attacks against Albania’s diplomatic representatives.
“While these people come and get involved in Albania, they should see that the Albanian language in North Macedonia has long been trampled on, and I did not see anyone protesting over this. There is also a climate of hatred toward Albanian diplomatic representatives. These are the issues that should concern us all,” he said.
As an example, the expert mentioned an incident that occurred a few weeks ago in Skopje.
“A few weeks ago they tried to enter our ambassador’s residence in Skopje, they poisoned his dog, and then destroyed the vehicle of the Albanian Embassy in the middle of Skopje during an official meeting. Even though the vehicle bore the Albanian flag, it was attacked by masked individuals. These are serious developments and cannot be ignored,” Karamuço stressed.
