[A-List] US imperialism: Macedonia

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

Shooting of seven 'terrorists' staged for US, says Macedonia
By Konstantin Testorides in Skopje
The Independent. 01 May 2004

Police in Macedonia said yesterday that the killing of seven alleged
terrorists two years ago was staged to win US support and that the victims
were simply illegal immigrants.

Mirjana Konteska, a police spokeswoman, said that six people, including
three former police commanders, two special police officers and a
businessman, have been charged with murder. "That was an act of a sick
mind," she said. "They ordered the brutal murder of seven Pakistani men."

The killings were carried out in March 2002 by special police who claimed to
have eliminated a terrorist group plotting to attack embassies and
representatives in Macedonia. The spokeswoman said that the seven victims
had been lured into Macedonia with promises that they would be transferred
to Western Europe. They were taken by police to the Rastanski Lozja area,
which is north-east of the capital Skopje, where they were encircled and
shot by special officers using automatic weapons.

"They lost their lives in a staged murder," she said. There was no immediate
comment from international officials in Macedonia. Western representatives
in the country had demanded an investigation. Macedonia has been a close US
ally in the Balkans and has supported the war on terrorism.

Also facing possible charges in connection with the case is the former
Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski, who was chief of police at the time. He
is likely to be charged if parliament revokes the immunity from prosecution
he enjoys as a deputy.

He denied the allegations, telling reporters that he and his associates were
tipped off about the alleged terrorists by unidentified American
intelligence officers. If found guilty, the suspects could face from 10
years to life in prison.