Police in Kosovo target suspected Islamic radicals

Ten locations in five major cities searched by authorities; leading Islamic cleric Shefqet Krasniqi questioned

Muslim cleric Shefqet Krasniqi, who was questioned on ties to radical Islamic organizations by police in Pristine, Kosovo, on Thursday, September 4, 2014. (photo credit: Youtube screen capture)
Muslim cleric Shefqet Krasniqi, who was questioned on ties to radical Islamic organizations by police in Pristine, Kosovo, on Thursday, September 4, 2014. (photo credit: Youtube screen capture)

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo police say they are questioning a Muslim cleric and have searched 10 locations including offices of two organizations believed to fund Islamic radicals.

Police said that the cleric, identified by Kosovo media as Shefqet Krasniqi, a leader of prayers in a main mosque in the capital Pristina, is suspected of inciting religious hatred. They say electronic devices were seized during the operation conducted in five major cities across Kosovo on Thursday.

Last month 40 people were arrested in a major operation targeting Islamic radicals suspected of fighting In Iraq and Syria alongside the Islamic State group. They have been ordered detained for 30 days.

Kosovo is secular but its majority ethnic Albanians are overwhelmingly Muslim.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

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