Skopje, Macedonia
Macedonia’s former interior minister had seven innocent men murdered in 2002, in an attempt to show that his country had a terrorism problem, the government said this week. At the time, some elements in the government wanted to portray Macedonia as a victim of Islamic terror, in order to gain favor with the U.S. and discredit the ethnic Albanian minority. The interior minister, Ljube Boskovski, allegedly ordered police to identify immigrants who could be portrayed as Islamic terrorists. A special forces unit kidnapped six Pakistanis and an Indian, killed them, and planted guns and Islamic paraphernalia on them. Boskovski then went on TV to warn that al Qaida was active in Macedonia and that Albanians sympathized with its cause. Boskovski, who was arrested this week, denied all charges.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
The growing thirst for camel milkUnder the radar Climate change and health-conscious consumers are pushing demand for nutrient-rich product – and the growth of industrialised farming
-
'Good riddance to the televised presidential debate'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Caitlin Clark the No. 1 pick in bullish WNBA DraftSpeed Read As expected, she went to the Indiana Fever
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion banSpeed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling BiblesSpeed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitnessIn Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
