FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Today in Brussels, the court hearing against Mikel Mehmetaj, 46 years old, from Vlorë, accused of murdering Anastas Qatos in Belgium and wounding his brother in 2015. Mehmetaj is a well-known name in Albania after he was arrested at gunpoint in Vlora in 2017. , while in 2019 he escaped an assassination attempt in the coastal city. He was arrested in 2020 in North Macedonia and then extradited to Belgium. "If I had wanted to come with a gun and kill the accused Mikel Mehmetaj, he would no longer live," assured Artan Qato on Tuesday morning, heard as a civil party by the Court of Assembly of Brussels.
"Everything the accused has said is nothing but lies," said Artan Qato, victim of the gunshots that seriously injured him and proved fatal for his brother Anastas, on September 26, 2015 in the center of Brussels. Mikel Mehmetaj, arrested in 2020 in North Macedonia, admitted that he was the author.
"That day, my brother called me shortly before 8 am to tell me that we should urgently go to the "Le DM" cafe," recalls Mr. Calm down. "He thought that I had argued with people, which was not the case, therefore he did not understand why he was targeted with insults" by the accused, the bodyguard of the head of the institution Kristo Tuçe and DJ Miklovan Kajtazi, otherwise known as "Vani".
According to Artan Qatos, who also worked for Kristo Tuçe, the discussion outside the cafe was only if there was a problem with his brother, who had lost his job in another bar managed by the boss, continues to frequent the premises. "Christ told us no. At one point, the accused, whom I did not know, came and started insulting my brother. I asked him "who are you?" and I told him that it was a family conversation, then Anastasi took out a knife and hit the accused, but I did not know that he had a knife on him to calm the situation, but when I left him, he shot my brother", Artan Qato continued.
Regarding the accusation made by Mikel Mehmetaj that he himself was violent, threatening DJ Vani by putting a knife to his throat, Mr. Qato has strongly denied it. "I did not hit anyone, I never had a weapon and I never saw him", he assured, asserting that Vani, who will ensure the escape by car of the accused, was not even present at the time of the fight.
Asked about his brother's personality, Artan Qato described him as someone "who did not have violence in his blood". He was kind, honest, I was very close and very proud of him I would have preferred to leave earlier. Since the events, Artan Qato says he has suffered from headaches and breathing problems and has "lost all logic".
Immediately heard, his wife Katerina confirmed that the words were at the origin of the situation. "It's like this among Albanians, they argue about insults, especially when they target women, mothers, sisters," she said.
Artan Qato, who was arrested on his arrival at Justitia on Tuesday morning due to a default sentence for drug possession handed down in October 2023 by the Criminal Court of Brussels, arrived at the Court of Return handcuffed and escorted by a police officer. He was, however, able to return to his free seat to attend the proceedings at the end of his hearing, thanks to the express objection to his sentence made in the meantime by his lawyers. The trial continues on Tuesday with expert testimony.
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