Macedonia militant gets life sentence over 2015 attack

SKOPJE, Macedonia – A court in Macedonia has sentenced an alleged ethnic Albanian militant gunman to life in prison over a deadly 2015 gunbattle with police, a day after 33 other suspects also received heavy sentences.

Prosecutors said Sulejman Osmani was a key organizer of the deadly attack in Kumanovo, in northern Macedonia, that left eight police officers and 10 militants dead. He was tried separately and sentenced Friday following his extradition from neighbouring Kosovo.

Macedonia has a large ethnic Albanian minority, and the 2015 incident was the worst outbreak of violence in the tiny country since a nine-month insurgency by fighters from the minority in 2001.

On Thursday, seven suspects were handed life sentences, and 26 others got prison sentences from 12 to 40 years.