According to the Police, Arsenijevic and Vellkovic were detained by the Police after obstructing the workers who were contracted and engaged by the competent authority, to clean some graffiti with nationalist inscriptions, which create incitement and hatred such as "Severna Brigada" and others, which were in the square near the bridge.
"The persons in question have been warned several times not to obstruct the work and to leave, but they have continued to obstruct and not allow the completion of the works, and have provoked and incited tensions. The relevant police units, in order to calm the situation and create opportunities for work, were forced to act and escorted two people to the police station for interview. The persons escorted to the police station, after the interview, were released", the announcement states.
Dozens of Serbs gathered in front of the police station in Mitrovica as a sign of dissatisfaction with the arrest of Arsenijevic and Vellkovic.
The Kurti government announced in mid-July that it intends to open the main bridge over the Ibër River in Mitrovica for vehicle traffic.
However, the QUINT countries – the US, UK, Germany, France and Italy – declared on August 2 that they do not support the opening of the bridge at this time.
NATO's peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, declared that any decision on the opening of the main bridge over the Iber River should be taken within the framework of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.
This mission has reiterated that it will not hesitate to take "all the necessary measures" to combat developments that may threaten regional security and stability.
Italian soldiers as part of the KFOR mission are on the bridge over the Ibër river, while members of the Kosovo Police are also nearby. Earlier in the dialogue, it was agreed that the Ibri Bridge should be opened for cars as well. But the agreement was not implemented.
