The explosion in Ibër-Lepenc, one year later/ No indictment, no responsibility

2025-11-25 20:47:22, Kosova & Bota CNA

The explosion in Ibër-Lepenc, one year later/ No indictment, no

One year after the explosion in the Ibër-Lepenc canal, in the village of Varragë in northern Kosovo, the circumstances of the event and those responsible still remain unclear.

The explosion occurred on November 29, 2024. Kosovo described it as a terrorist act and accused Serbia of organizing it, but Belgrade denied these accusations.

After the incident, the US stated that there is no evidence directly linking Belgrade to the explosion and that it is too early to draw conclusions, but confirmed that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents are also involved in the investigation.

The Kosovo Special Prosecution told Radio Free Europe that the case of the explosion in the Ibër-Lepenc canal is still under investigation and that it cannot provide details about it.

For Ehat Miftaraj, from the Kosovo Justice Institute, it is important that the investigation is professional and evidence-based, "to ensure that those who committed this violent act are prosecuted."

Radio Free Europe also asked the High Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade whether it is conducting an investigation, as Chief Prosecutor Nenad Stefanovi? said earlier that he expects "a comprehensive investigation to uncover the truth and all relevant facts," but, as of the publication of this article, did not receive a response.

Similarly, the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) did not respond to REL's questions about whether it is informed about the details of the investigation, whether there have been requests for cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia, and whether any indictments are expected soon.

Otherwise, the attack on the Iber-Lepenc canal was condemned by Western countries, the EU and NATO, which demanded a full clarification of the circumstances and bringing those responsible to justice.

What is known so far is that Kosovo authorities have arrested dozens of people suspected of being connected to the explosion in the Ibër-Lepenc canal and have seized weapons and explosives.

However, only Dragisa and Jovan Vicentijevic have been remanded in custody.

Miftaraj tells Radio Free Europe that the Viçentijevic brothers have been in detention for a year and that the prosecution needs to be more efficient in its work.

"The prosecution should treat this case as a priority, even though it is still within the legal two-year deadline for conducting investigations," he emphasizes.

The "Oath for Justice" portal, which regularly monitors court proceedings in Kosovo, reports that the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office is charging Dragisha and Jovan Viçentijevic with the criminal offenses of terrorism, violation of constitutional order and public security, because there are well-founded suspicions that they intentionally damaged the Ibër-Lepenc canal with explosives.

Kosovo authorities and police have previously said that around 20 kilograms of explosives were used to blow up the canal and that this was the most serious attack on the country's critical infrastructure in the post-war period.

The damage caused is estimated at around 400 thousand euros.

Security expert Nuredin Ibishi tells Radio Free Europe that, according to his sources, the investigation into the case could take longer, because it is a "complicated case."

"It is not certain whether the investigation will end with a public trial and whether or not it is a terrorist attack on critical infrastructure. There is a dilemma whether the investigation will reveal all the circumstances. The justice bodies in Kosovo have been open to cooperation with the international community, with our strategic partners from the USA," says Ibishi.

Senior Kosovo Government officials have previously said that the former deputy leader of the Serbian List, Milan Radoi?i?, is behind the attack.

Radoi?i? claimed responsibility for the armed attack in Banjska in September 2023, when a Kosovo policeman was killed, while in the armed clashes that followed, three Serbian attackers were also killed.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti - now in office - said that he has intelligence information that the state of Serbia was responsible for the financing, planning and logistics of the attack in Ibër-Lepenc.

But the then-US ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, said that the US "sees no evidence pointing to Belgrade" in this case.

Meanwhile, the then-US ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, confirmed that FBI agents are directly involved in the investigation.

He stressed that it was still too early to say who was responsible, but added that "no group or state" should be excluded.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reached out to the US State Department to ask whether the FBI is still engaged in the investigation and whether it has achieved any results, but did not receive a response.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vu?i? has said that it is less important who carried out the attack and more important who is behind it.

He has ruled out the possibility that Russia is responsible and expressed Belgrade's willingness to cooperate with all international organizations and institutions in investigating the case.

According to him, if it turns out that a person of Serbian nationality who is on the territory of Serbia is responsible, he "will be arrested immediately."

Vu?i? also said that he has some information about who the perpetrator may be, but did not provide details.

Radio Free Europe also reached out to the Serbian Presidency to clarify Vu?i?'s statement and to ask whether Serbia is cooperating with international or Kosovo institutions in the investigations, but did not receive a response.

Kosovo and Serbia have no cooperation in the field of justice. They establish contacts or send requests to each other only through EULEX.

Miftaraj believes that Serbia is the one that is avoiding cooperation, not only in the case of the explosion in the Ibër-Lepenc canal, but also in other cases.

Retired law professor from Belgrade, Vesna Rakic-Vodinelic, previously told Radio Free Europe that Serbia is most likely to refuse cooperation with Kosovo because it believes that, in the event of cooperation, it would accept a relationship that would resemble that between the two states.

Serbia does not recognize Kosovo's independence, which was declared in 2008, and considers it part of its territory.

In 2013, as part of the dialogue to normalize relations, the two countries reached an agreement on the judiciary, with which Belgrade pledged to accept the jurisdiction of the Kosovo judiciary in Serb-majority municipalities.

However, legal cooperation between the two states has never been realized in practice.

Ibishi says there is a risk of a "hybrid war", with the participation of Serbian state institutions.

He does not believe that security on the ground could be seriously jeopardized due to the presence of international NATO and EU missions.

"International and domestic security bodies are always on standby to prevent any possibility of escalation," he says.

But, he adds, those dealing with the security situation should be more careful in the coming period, considering that early parliamentary elections have been announced and that there is an unstable political situation, which someone "could abuse."

Early elections in Kosovo were planned for December 28th, after the Vetëvendosje Movement, which won the most votes in the February 9th elections, failed to form a new government, despite two attempts.

The NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR, has reiterated several times over the past year that it is ready to confront any attempt at destabilization./ REL