Kosovo president: Arrested Germans not registered as agents

Kosovo FlagPristina - The three Germans arrested in connection with a bomb attack on European Union offices in Pristina were not registered as intelligence agents, Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu said Monday.

"I have no information on their accreditation. They could have entered Kosovo in a private capacity," he said, declining to comment further on the case while an investigation is in progress.

The Germans were arrested last week as suspects in the bombing of the office of the EU's representative in Kosovo. Nobody was injured when a device containing 300 grams of TNT was thrown at the building.

Local and German media said the three men, aged between 41 and 47, are agents of the German foreign intelligence service BND. They face possible terrorism charges, punishable with up to 20 years in prison, if they are brought to trial and convicted.

Neither the Berlin government nor the BND has commented on the possible involvement of German intelligence agents in the blast.

A 30-day detention order was issued against the trio, pending completion of the investigation. Some reports said they could even be linked to earlier, similar attacks on international institutions in Pristina.

Eulex, an EU mission, is due in a few weeks to take charge of overseeing law enforcement in Kosovo after eight years of UN stewardship.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February. Pristina, Belgrade, the UN and EU are currently wrangling over the conditions for the deployment of Eulex, comprising 2,000 police, judicial and customs officials. (dpa)

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