A serious conflict in Radhimë, involving firearms, violence and a vehicle chase, has led to five arrests and six people being declared wanted. Vlora Police issued a detailed version of the incident, emphasizing that at the center of the conflict is a claim for 5 million euros against hotel owner Vasil Bedinaj.
Police version of the conflict at the hotel
According to police, the incident occurred around midday, after the owner of the hotel in Radhimë, identified by the initials V. B., asked for help claiming that he had been assaulted and threatened with a firearm by several people.
In the official version, police said that after the report, checkpoints were set up at the entry and exit points of Vlora, in Dhërmi, and in cooperation with the police in Fier and Gjirokastër. The investigation is being led by the Vlora Prosecutor’s Office.
The claim for 5 million euros and the threat to leave
According to the police’s preliminary information, Luan Muça, together with other people, went to Vasil Bedinaj’s hotel and, under the threat of weapons and physical violence, demanded 5 million euros from him.
According to the same version, Bedinaj was threatened that he had to leave Albania within 48 hours. This remains one of the most serious elements of the incident and is expected to be verified through investigative actions and evidence to be administered by the prosecution.
Gunfire, police pursuit and suspected vehicles
Police claim that Angjelo Breshani then took Vasil Bedinaj’s licensed firearm from the latter’s vehicle and fired toward the cars of the people who were at the scene.
At around 12:00, a “Range Rover” vehicle did not obey an order to stop in the Alikokë area and fled toward Peshkëpi. During the pursuit, the vehicle went off the road at the Peshkëpi Bridge and struck the protective barriers.
In the vehicle were Luan Muça, as the driver, as well as brothers Klaudio and Mandrit Lleshaj, identified as employees of a private security company. Two of them were injured and taken to hospital, out of danger for their lives.
During the search of the vehicle, police announced that they seized a pistol with one magazine containing 16 rounds. Later, in Fier, another vehicle that had been declared wanted was also stopped, driven by Kosovar citizen Blerim Heta, where three rounds were found and damage to the window was observed which, according to suspicions, may have been caused by gunfire.
The burned car and measures taken so far
At around 16:30, on the Vlora bypass near Kanina, police found an “Audi A8” vehicle on fire, suspected of having been used by the people involved in the incident.
At the conclusion of the initial actions, five people were arrested in flagrante, while six others were declared wanted. Also, four suspected vehicles appear to have been involved in this episode.
The procedural materials are expected to be sent to the Vlora Prosecutor’s Office for criminal offenses related to extortion by threat for the giving of property and illegal possession of firearms.
The incident once again raises serious questions about security, the involvement of armed individuals, and the way such conflicts are able to escalate in broad daylight in a coastal area.
At this stage, the main part of the information is based on the official police version, while criminal responsibility and the full dynamics remain to be clarified in the investigation.