Skopje, 31 December 2024 (MIA) - The Skopje Basic Public Prosecutor's Office has ordered an investigation against a 29-year-old man from Kumanovo, suspected of hiding a large quantity of weapons and ammunition in a canal on a local road between the villages of Orlanci and Nikushtak.

The Prosecutor's Office said that a police operation on December 18 has uncovered a machine gun, a dozen automatic rifles, several magazines for automatic rifles, and a large number of bullets, which are not allowed to be owned by citizens and no permit can be obtained by civilians for their possession. 

"An additional investigation, ordered by a public prosecutor, has revealed material traces that provide reasonable suspicion that this suspect and several other individuals, whose precise identification is under way, were illegally holding the weapons at the specified location. By doing so, the suspect has committed the crime of Unauthorized manufacture, possession, mediation and trade in weapons or explosive materials," said the Prosecutor's Office. 

A public prosecutor has submitted a proposal to a pre-trial judge of the Skopje-based Criminal Court to order a detention measure against the suspect, due to flight risk, possibility of witness tampering and a risk of repeating the crime.

"The court accepted the proposal of the prosecution and ordered that the suspect be detained for 30 days," reads the press release. 

Photo: MIA archive