A court in the eastern North Macedonian town of Shtip on Thursday ordered five Turkish nationals to appear before an investigative judge in connection with the fatal shooting of a 25-year-old foreign national at a bar in the town’s central square.
Police have identified the main suspect as 21-year-old Turkish citizen K.K., who is accused of shooting the victim, identified by local media as E.O., during an altercation late Wednesday. Four other Turkish nationals, aged between 21 and 29, are suspected of helping K.K. flee the scene.
The public prosecutor is expected to request pre-trial detention for all five suspects.
According to police, the incident was reported at 9:25 p.m. local time. The victim was transported to Shtip Clinical Hospital, where he died at 10:10 p.m.
A police operation later that evening led to the interception of a BMW vehicle near the Miladinovci toll booth, about an hour’s drive from Shtip. Inside were four of the suspects – A.H., T.M., O.M., and A.O. – with A.H. briefly attempting to flee on foot before being apprehended. The main suspect, K.K., was arrested shortly after.
Drones and multiple police units from Shtip and Skopje were deployed in the operation.
Authorities have not released a possible motive for the killing.
