Macedonia: Ex-secret police chief in custody over violence

SKOPJE, Macedonia – A former Macedonian secret police chief has been taken into custody for a minimum of 30 days over his alleged involvement in violence in parliament during the election of the speaker last year.

Vladimir Atanasovski, 34, who headed the state security agency UBK in 2016 and 2017, was taken into custody Wednesday as a potential flight risk. He is accused of being an organizer of the parliament attack that occurred in April last year saw more than 100 people injured, including lawmakers and journalists.

A total of 33 people have been on trial since August for their alleged role in the violent intrusion. Atanasovski was arrested after being identified as an alleged organizer during the court hearings.

It was not immediately clear how he responded to the allegations.