KOSOVO: President Behxhet Pacolli leads his country in condemning the killing of two U.S. servicemen in Frankfurt airport by a suspect who is apparently a Kosovo national

Record ID: 376631

  • Title: KOSOVO: President Behxhet Pacolli leads his country in condemning the killing of two U.S. servicemen in Frankfurt airport by a suspect who is apparently a Kosovo national
  • Date: 4th March 2011
  • Summary: NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE IN DAILY NEWSPAPER "EXPRESS" READING "SHAME"
  • Embargoed: 19th March 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kosovo, Kosovo
  • Country: Kosovo
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA208059QTL48FUXAG7N35AE0A7
  • Story Text: Kosovo's president led his country on Thursday (March 3) in condemning an incident on a U.S. Army bus at Frankfurt airport on Wednesday in which two U.S. servicemen were shot dead, and two wounded.
    German police arrested a suspect, and said he was a 21-year old Kosovo national.
    "We harshly condemn this incident. This incident shouldn't have happened. We will look into it why this young man committed this crime and we Kosovars all together strongly condemn this incident," said newly elected Kosovo President, Behxhet Pacolli.
    Most of Kosovo's daily newspapers carried the deadly shooting incident in Germany on their front pages. "Shame" read the headline in daily newspaper "Express".
    "That is horrible news, especially for us Kosovars who are big fans of the United States of America for helping us so much through the war and after the war and rebuilding our country and I believe that this was a horrible incident. Any attack against any U.S. soldier is an attack against Kosovo and Kosovan people," said Birol Urcan, the program director of "Kohavision" national television.
    The United States has had troops in Kosovo since 1999, when a NATO bombing campaign pushed out Serbian forces. The U.S. troops there now are helping to oversee a fragile peace that has held since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
    "The fact that a Kosovo person is involved in the incident, or actually did the incident as it is claimed, is very embarrassing for us. I can see the mood of the people around me from the conversations we have is total desperation, total embarrassment and total.. I don't have any words to explain the moment and how people are feeling about that," said Urcan.
    Abaz Recica, a professor from Pristina, also expressed his shock, while cautioning against jumping to any conclusions over the incident.
    "It is a shock and such a negative event and I express right away my condolences to the families of killed ones, but unfortunately I heard some news and there were some statements that shouldn't be so fast in connecting this incident with any organized or national level or religious levels. I think that Kosovars are absolutely are among the nations that are the most pro-American nations in the Balkans, and in Europe probably," said Recica.
    German state prosecutors said on Thursday they suspected the gunman was motivated by Islamism.
    Kosovo declared independence some three years ago and has been recognized by 75 countries including the United States and most of the European Union countries. Serbia and its ally Russia oppose Kosovo's independence.
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