Overview
- The Basic Court in Pristina, which delivered its verdict Friday, sentenced two men to life in prison and a third to 30 years.
- Judges said the trio tried to cut off Serb‑majority northern municipalities to join them with Serbia using a planned operation with heavy weapons.
- The Banjska assault in September 2023 left a Kosovo police officer and three gunmen dead after hours of fighting around a monastery.
- Prosecutors say more than 40 other suspects remain in Serbia under international warrants after judges refused to try them in absentia, and alleged leader Milan Radoicic is still there after admitting he took part.
- Defense lawyers plan to appeal the sentences, while dueling statements from Pristina and Belgrade signal deeper tension in EU‑led normalization talks as Serbia denies state involvement.