Kosovo Holds Three German Intelligence Agents On Alleged EU Attack

Berlin, Germany (AHN) - Three members of the German Secret Service (BND) will be held for 30 days in Kosovo for allegedly throwing an explosive device at the EU headquarters in Pristina.

The three Germans are suspected of having committed an act of terrorism in the Pristina province and that the group will be placed under house arrest, a defense lawyer told local reports.

During the attack on Nov. 14, an explosive device was hurled at the glass-fronted European Union office shattering windows causing minor damage; however nobody was hurt, reports said.

"The court did not accept the proposal and the clients are now in detention, waiting for the end of the investigation," Fetie Uka, a lawyer for the trio, was quoted saying by AFP news agency on Sunday.

A Kosovan judge has ordered to hold Robert Koller, 47, Andreas Brunken, 41, and Andreas Jakel, 41, who were arrested on Nov. 20 following the attack at the Pristina headquarters of the EU special envoy to Kosovo.

The reports said that the authorities are still investigating the matter; and if the three members of the German Secret Service (BND) are found guilty of terrorism, they could be sentenced to 20 years.

The local official did not disclose the details of the on-going case, but they said the trio had been living in Kosovo for more than six months without Diplomatic passports.

In the month of February, Kosovo had declared itself independent from Serbia, following the presence of the United Nations for nine years in the region, a move which was considered as illegal based on UN Charter.

On Nov. 10, Kosovo's Albanian majority had opposed the idea of deployment of an EU police, judiciary and customs (EULEX) mission by early December.

The agreement was reached between the UN and Serbia. More than 50 states including the U.S. and most of the EU members, including Germany, have recognized Kosovo's independence.