Kosovo Police discovered military clothing and equipment hidden inside a sewer manhole during a routine patrol on Zoran Gjingjiq Street in Mitrovica.
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Former investigator Agim Rexhepi told “Bota sot” that security institutions should pay particular attention to the discovery. According to him, the finding of military uniforms and equipment cannot simply be treated as a routine police report, as the fact that they were hidden in a manhole in North Mitrovica warrants serious scrutiny.
Rexhepi said he did not want to draw premature conclusions about who may have placed the equipment there or their intentions, as these are matters for the investigation to clarify. However, he stressed that such equipment does not end up hidden in sewer manholes by chance and that, if this is not the first similar case in the area, the institutions are facing a warning sign that must be analyzed much more thoroughly.
According to him, investigators should not limit themselves to asking what the police discovered. They must determine who obtained the equipment, where it came from, when it was placed there, who had access to it and why it was hidden. They must also establish whether it had been used previously, whether it had been involved in any illegal activity and whether it is linked to cases recorded in the past.
Rexhepi called for the incident not to be viewed in isolation. He said it should be compared with all previous cases of this nature, possible links should be examined and a complete picture of the situation should be established. According to him, security institutions must stay ahead of developments rather than lag behind them.
To this end, the former investigator called for stronger information gathering and intelligence analysis, increased checks in sensitive areas and greater cooperation among the police, other security institutions, the prosecution and international partners.
He also stressed that the investigation must be conducted professionally, without causing panic or stigmatizing any community. According to him, the institutions must respond forcefully to any unlawful act while also acting with precision by investigating those responsible, possible networks and the concrete facts.
If the investigation concludes that the equipment was abandoned and is not linked to criminal activity, this should be made clear, Rexhepi said. Conversely, if links to organized activity, preparations for illegal activities or threats to public security are established, the institutions must intervene immediately by enforcing the law.
In conclusion, Rexhepi called for the case neither to be downplayed nor used for speculation, but to be investigated fully. He said security is measured not only by how quickly the police find the equipment, but also by the institutions’ ability to determine as quickly as possible who placed it there, why they did so and whether a broader network is behind it.
According to him, the discovery should serve as a wake-up call for greater coordination, stronger preventive intelligence and higher institutional professionalism. Rexhepi told “Bota sot” that citizens have the right to feel safe and to expect every possible sign of danger to be taken seriously, adding that now that the equipment has been found, the institutions have a duty to find the answers.
