Assassins dropped explosives with a drone into the house/ How they attempted to eliminate Bernard Sinomataj, the brother of "Buzëderri"

2025-07-01 22:12:00, Kronika CNA

Assassins dropped explosives with a drone into the house/ How they attempted to

An incomplete, but sufficiently frightening noise broke the silence of the night and disturbed the deafness of the late hours, leaving the few visitors present in a new building, not yet fully populated by new residents, stunned. It was an unknown explosion, which at that moment could not be identified, whether it was a gas cylinder or some other stronger explosive.

Initially, even for the police who arrived immediately after the first report, the situation was unclear. The incident had occurred in a new apartment block on 'Sadik Petrela' Street in Tirana, where an explosion had disturbed the few residents of the building in the early hours of the morning of December 22, 2024. The police forces, after arriving at the scene, went up to the 9th floor of the building, with the suspicion that the cause could have been a gas leak, which could then have led to the explosion inside an apartment.

Along with them, the ambulance and emergency services also came to help. But the door to the apartment was locked and in order to get inside, the intervention of the engineering forces was required to blow it up. However, upon entering the apartment where no one answered, the course of events took an unexpected turn.

It was no longer a question of a gas cylinder or a gas leak – the police were faced with a genuine criminal act. An attack staged in detail, which targeted a character from Vlora, connected to criminal events, whose family had previously been the target of serious attacks.

According to the Investigation File: "On December 22, 2024, the Police Operations Room was notified that an explosion had occurred on 'Sadik Petrela' Street in Tirana, on the 9th floor of a building near a well-known nightclub, as a result of a suspected leak of a gas cylinder. Immediately after receiving the notification, the police and fire services were able to forcefully open the apartment door. Initial checks did not find anyone, but significant damage was found on the balcony and on the glass windows, caused by the explosion with explosives."

What shocked the investigative team at the scene was the sophisticated manner of execution: the explosive had not been planted by someone who had entered the apartment, but had come from the air. It was not a question of an invisible hand throwing it out the window, nor of an author operating from the balcony, since the 9th floor of the building ruled out such a scenario.

The police now had no more doubts: the explosives had been dropped onto the balcony of the rented apartment using an aerial vehicle, specifically a remotely controlled drone. This was the only way for the perpetrators to reach their target without being noticed by anyone, including the target of the attack itself.

The investigative file shows that, based on the initial investigations carried out, it turns out that the quantity of explosive material was thrown onto the balcony of the apartment in question via a drone-type flying device and was activated remotely using a mobile phone. Seemingly an intelligent find, this seems to have been the only opportunity for the perpetrators to approach their target, who had rented an apartment in that building. But, surprisingly, at that time of night he was not in the apartment, or perhaps he had left it only a few minutes before the explosion, which could have seriously endangered his life.

So who was the target of the failed drone attack on 'Sadik Petrela' street in Tirana? And what is his connection to the well-known character Sokol Sinomataj, or as he is otherwise known, 'Buzëderri'? It was the latter's son, 23-year-old Gëzim Sinomataj, who was shot in the head with a sniper bullet on the evening of January 7, 2024, as he went out onto the balcony to smoke a cigarette in his uncle's apartment, in one of the neighborhoods of Vlora. Just a few days earlier, he had returned to Albania for vacation.

The apartment where Gëzim was killed belonged to his uncle, Bernard Sinomataj, the same one who would later become the target of the explosive attack, on the 9th floor of a building on 'Sadik Petrela' street in Tirana. The Sinomataj brothers, Sokoli and Bernardi, were involved in various criminal events dating back to 1997. Sokol Sinomataj, or 'Buzëderri', was a member of the notorious Gaxhai gang during the dark year in Vlora and, at the time his son was shot, was serving a sentence for a murder that occurred in 2000. As for Bernardi, the drone attack in Tirana was not the first: on January 3, 2022, he had been the target of another attack, when 150 grams of TNT explosives were placed in his car parked in the same neighborhood where his nephew would later be executed.

In relation to the most recent assassination attempt on him on 'Sadik Petrela' Street, it remained important for investigators to discover where the drone that dropped the explosive charge was commanded. Hypotheses were raised as to whether the device had come from another object near the building, or whether the perpetrators had been precise enough to command it accurately from the ground. The investigative file describes: "Based on the information provided, it turns out that the explosive substance thrown with a drone device on the balcony of the apartment was activated via a mobile phone. For this reason, it was deemed appropriate to initially comb the area of ??the building where the explosion occurred. From which it resulted that in the area in front of the building, on the sidewalk and on the road, small pieces of batteries, various wires, parts of coils and circuits, damaged drone propellers with the presence of soot and burning, as well as components of the aircraft and the explosive substance were found."

So, it was now clear that the drone targeting the 9th floor where Bernard Sinomataj was temporarily staying as a tenant had been launched from the parking lot in front of the building. But what remained unclear was whether or not the perpetrators had information about whether the target was in the apartment at that moment. And if they knew that the apartment was empty, was this attack just another warning to Sinomataj?

Why was a drone explosion chosen, when the potential victim was constantly on the move and could be hit under more favorable conditions? What was found in the apartment rented by Bernard Sinomataj? Items that clearly indicated that he had either left in a hurry or had not been prepared for such an attack. Among them, two firearms were also found…

The investigation file reveals important details from the scene on the 9th floor of the building where the explosion occurred. During the inspection of the apartment, it was found that as a result of the explosion, the floor tiles of the balcony, where the explosion crater is located, as well as the balcony glass pane, were damaged, where glass fragments were scattered irregularly throughout the interior of the kitchen. During the inspection of the apartment, soot and burning were found, along with components of the aircraft and the explosive mechanism.

During the search, a black box with the inscription 'AHSS' was found and seized in the premises of this apartment, inside which were a firearm comb, a leg holder, a gun holder on the thigh and three brushes for cleaning the gun. A current account contract with the client name Sokol Sinomataj was also found. Also, a pair of black glasses with the inscription 'Prada' and a driving license in the name of the same Sokol Sinomataj. Also, a handwritten notebook was found where names and phone numbers were written, a photocopy of an international search warrant, a prosecutor's report and two court decisions for the citizen Sokol Sinomataj.

Nga këto të dhëna bëhet e qartë se, edhe pse apartamenti ishte marrë me qira, Bernard Sinomataj e përdorte atë si rezidencën e tij. Prania e dokumenteve që i përkisnin vëllait të tij, Sokol Sinomataj, e përforcon këtë fakt. Por në apartament nuk u gjetën vetëm dokumente që lidhen me vëllezërit Sinomataj. Gjatë kontrollit të imtësishëm, u zbuluan edhe dokumente që i përkisnin shtetases E. A., e cila rezulton të jetë bashkëjetuesja e Bernard Sinomataj.

Ndër të tjera, u zbuluan para në shuma të konsiderueshme në prerje euro, si dhe një kartë bankare në emrin e një shtetaseje italiane. Dosja hetimore përshkruan se gjatë kontrollit u gjetën: një telefon i zi me shkronjën ‘G’ të stampuar në pjesën e pasme; një portofol i zi që përmbante një kartë bankare në emër të Anamaria Grigore; një kartë ‘Nova’ në gjuhë të huaj pa kartë SIM; një kartë me mbishkrimin ‘Extranjeros Regimen Comunitario’ me emër Spiro Sinomataj; një leje drejtimi shqiptare në të njëjtin emër; një kartë në gjuhë të huaj me mbishkrimin ‘Parking’; një kartë blu me mbishkrimin ‘Imakro’ po ashtu në emër të Anamaria Grigore; 17 kartëmonedha prej 50 eurosh; dhe një kartë identiteti shqiptare me emrin Spiro Sinomataj.

Në kuadër të hetimeve, i pari që u pyet nga autoritetet ishte G. M., komshiu ngjitur me apartamentin ku ndodhi shpërthimi. Ai tregoi se mbrëmjen e ngjarjes sapo ishte kthyer në banesë së bashku me bashkëshorten dhe ora shënonte 21:15 minuta. Ata sapo kishin konsumuar vaktin e darkës kur dëgjuan zhurmën e fortë që erdhi nga jashtë. Të shqetësuar, dolën në ballkon për të parë se çfarë kishte ndodhur dhe vunë re se nga ballkoni ngjitur po dilte tym.

G. M. rrëfen: “Sapo pashë tymin që po dilte nga ballkoni ngjitur, dolëm te dera e apartamentit tonë. Aty pamë një njeri që ishte i trembur. Duke menduar se ishte pronari i banesës ngjitur, e pyeta nëse ishte mirë. Por ai mu përgjigj se jemi mirë dhe të mos shqetësohesha, pasi ishte thjesht një bombol gazi.”

I pyetur nga grupi hetues, komshiu nuk dha shumë detaje rreth personit që takoi në korridorin e sheshpushimit. Ai nuk dha ndonjë karakteristikë të veçantë apo ndonjë informacion nëse ai person ishte i shoqëruar me dikë tjetër. Ai deklaroi vetëm se pas këtij momenti zbriti poshtë me bashkëshorten derisa mbërriti policia dhe më pas janë ngjitur sërish në apartamentin ku ndodhi shpërthimi.

Në lidhje me pamjen e personit që takoi, G. M. shton: “Lidhur me karakteristikat e personit që takova te shkallët e pallatit fill pas ngjarjes, më duhet të them se ai ishte brun, i gjatë 178 cm, i moshës rreth 45 vjeç, kishte veshje të rregullta dhe mbante rroba të errëta.”

Further, the neighbor next to the building where the explosion occurred also spoke about any possible events he might have heard recently in this apartment. He was asked if he had seen or heard anything strange that might have caught his attention. Apart from a distant episode, he stated that he had not registered anything unusual in his short-term memory about the problematic neighbors with whom he shared the entrance. In fact, according to him, he had not noticed anything disturbing that could lead him to think that an unpleasant situation could occur, as happened that evening in late December.

GM says: "What I want to say is that I didn't notice anything suspicious about the people living next to our apartment. What I remember is that 2-3 weeks ago, from this apartment I heard two male people talking loudly. But I didn't pay attention to their words."

Among the most interesting testimonies is that of A. Th. himself, the owner of the rented apartment, who confirmed that the entrance, which he and his wife had purchased a year ago in this apartment block on 'Sadik Petrela' street in Tirana, had been rented for a six-month period to a lady named Helena.

A. Th. says: “My wife and I have put the apartment on the notice board at a real estate agency in Zogu i Zi, with the intention of renting it out. Just a few days after this notice, the agency informed us that a girl named Helena, originally from Korça, wanted to rent the apartment and had paid us in advance for a six-month term. The girl had a Dutch number and a few days after the payment she came and met us below the building, with the intention of us giving her the keys to the apartment.”

When asked about her characteristics, the owner said that the girl spoke with a southern accent and was in the company of a man who introduced himself as her husband, around 35 years old, with brunette features, an average body, and a swarthy face.

A. Th. adds: “When he came to meet us, the man who was next to the woman who took the keys got out of a black SUV.”

Despite requests to question him, Bernard Sinomataj disappeared without a trace, leaving behind many questions and mysteries about the incident. Meanwhile, the hunt for his family continues today, although so far no perpetrator has been identified in connection with two or three events related to them: the placement of explosives three years ago in Bernard Sinomataj's car, the sniper execution in early 2024 of his nephew, Gëzim Sinomataj, as well as the latest assassination attempt with a drone loaded with explosives on the balcony of the apartment rented by Bernard Sinomataj himself./ 'Në Shënjestër'