Skopje police detain terror suspects, media report weapons
North Macedonia's police and security agency have run an operation in Skopje since yesterday. Prosecutors confirm only detentions; reports of weapons and ISIS flags are unofficial.
A joint operation by North Macedonia’s Interior Ministry (MUP) and National Security Agency (ANB) began in Skopje and its surroundings yesterday, September 28, and several people have been detained on suspicion of terrorism-related offenses. For Serbia it is news from a neighboring country it shares a border with, and for now there are more open questions than answers.
The operation is led by a public prosecutor from the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecuting Organized Crime and Corruption (OJO GOKK). Officially, only the detentions have been confirmed. What was reportedly found in the searches comes from unofficial information given to Macedonian media, so it should be read as allegations, not established facts.
What did the prosecutor’s office officially say?
In a statement carried by Republika, the prosecutor’s office said the following (translated from Macedonian):
“Under the direction of the public prosecutor from OJO GOKK, an operation by the MUP and ANB is under way at several locations in the territory of Skopje. Several persons have been detained on suspicion of criminal offenses in the area of terrorism. When the operation ends, the public will be informed.”
The prosecutor’s office also briefly confirmed yesterday that searches and interrogations are continuing and that it will release details once the operation is over. In the reports we reviewed there is no new official statement since this morning, so the situation is the same as yesterday. Republika adds that it is not known whether the detainees are Macedonian or foreign nationals, or what exactly they are accused of.
How many people were detained and what do media report about the findings?
Sources differ on the number. Telma writes about five detainees, while Republika, citing Sitel, reports six arrests. The portal 360 Stepeni says that, according to unofficial sources in the security services, the group has about five members. There is no official figure.
Telma claims the group also operated as an organized criminal group involved in loan sharking, illegal trade and violent activities. According to its information, those detained include a resident of the Skopje neighborhood of Cento, who was under security-service surveillance for about 15 years over radical activities. The same outlet reports that searches at more than 10 locations turned up several automatic weapons, pistols, knives, ISIS flags and computers used for mining cryptocurrency.
Sitel, as relayed by Republika, describes the haul differently: several sniper rifles, multiple pistols, flags bearing ISIS insignia and equipment for illegal cryptocurrency mining. The same source says there is a suspicion that the detainees are former members of that organization or are still in contact with it. Republika explicitly adds that there is no official confirmation of these details from the competent institutions. Slobodan Pecat, according to 360 Stepeni, reports that a flag of the “Islamic State,” weapons and ammunition were found.
What were the earlier ISIS cases in North Macedonia?
In December 2024, OJO GOKK announced that four people from Gostivar and Struga had been detained on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist organization. The prime suspect, a 21-year-old from Gostivar, had according to the prosecutor’s office set up several Telegram groups in early 2024, spread ISIS propaganda and recruited new members. In a second operation that month, searches were carried out at five locations in Skopje and Gostivar, and an automatic rifle, a pistol, propaganda material, phones and computer equipment were seized. Four people were taken into custody.
In May 2026, the prosecutor’s office said five people were under investigation for a terrorist organization: they allegedly spread content promoting ISIS ideology through online channels between 2025 and 2026.
What exactly the Skopje detainees are charged with, and whether the unofficial claims about weapons are accurate, will become clear when OJO GOKK informs the public at the end of the operation. No date has been announced.
