The trial of three men over an alleged secession attempt in northern Kosovo that claimed the lives of one police officer and three attackers began in Pristina on Friday.
With dozens of other suspects still on the run after the deadly shoot-out, the trial finally went ahead in Pristina after an attempt to try 42 co-accused in absentia was abandoned.
The defendants are charged with "preparing and committing terrorist acts" over their alleged role in a 2023 ambush of police at the Banjska monastery near Kosovo's border with Serbia.
"Acting according to a well-organised plan, they tried to secede the northern part of Kosovo -- the Serbian-majority municipalities -- and unite it with Serbia," said the indictment, seen by AFP.
"Kosovo anti-terrorist units broke up the attack, forcing the group to retreat into Serbia, where it had come from."
The indictment also accused Belgrade of arming and supporting the group.
The initial stages of the trio's trial, which began in 2025, had to be restarted due to the decision to split the trials of those in court and those still on the run.
Two of the men did not enter a plea, while the third pleaded not guilty.
The group's alleged leader, Kosovo Serb businessman Milan Radoicic, was last seen in Serbia.
Serbian media reported that Radoicic has previously admitted to authorities in Belgrade that he led the attack, but it remains unclear whether he is under investigation in Serbia.
Radoicic also has an outstanding warrant over alleged war crimes during Kosovo's 1990s conflict.
The 1998-1999 Kosovo war between independence-seeking guerrillas and Serbian armed forces ended after a NATO air campaign ousted Serbian military and police from the territory.
Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have remained fraught since the end of the war, which killed around 13,000 people, with Pristina declaring independence in 2008 -- a move Belgrade refuses to recognise.
