In the afternoon of March 21, the Belgrade radio B92 reported that one “Halid Berani” was arrested by KFOR troops, as the suspected originator of the “blood libel” about Serbs drowning three Albanian boys. According to B92:
“Berani supplied Kosovo Albanian media at the beginning of this week the news that three Albanian boys were drowned in the Ibar river ‘because they were chased by Serb youths’. This misinformation triggered public unrest and was used as an excuse by so far unknown extremist groups and elements to activate a pre-planned operation of ethnic persecution of all Serbs from Kosovo.”
Turns out this individual was no other than Halit Barani, the notorious KLA propagandist responsible for the Trepca mine shaft hoax debunked by none other than War Street Journal’s Daniel Pearl. Barani was also a perjured witness at the Hague Inquisition, brandishing a supposed Serb “hit list” of Albanians that was an obvious forgery, and poor at that.
But the hopes of Kosovo Serbs that someone, for once, would be brought to justice for their suffering were dashed yet again, when Barani was released later Sunday.
So much for viceroy Holkeri’s vows to “find the perpetrators”.
You’re looking at them, Harri.