The death penalty, the only response to terror The exposure of the Albanian state terrorist organization — why has this issue been handled for months by the law-enforcement agencies? In any case, against organized crime the police also act through public pressure. That is what happened at yesterday’s press conference of the Ministry of Interior, regarding the arrest of another member of the “Albanian terrorist organization,” which allegedly included the suicide attackers against illegal money. It was another opportunity to “strike” criminal organizations, which, like “uninvited guests,” had in practice undermined, even through complaints and various accusations, the police campaign against them; therefore the official version, supported by evidence and testimony, was presented to the public. But such an organization never existed, just as the official version does not stand, being presented with great shamelessness and propagandistic implication. According to the information given at yesterday’s conference, this had been “revealed” with the arrest of another organizer of attacks against institutions and people working to ensure the recovery of public order and security, targeted from Shkodra through a car bomb and gunfire, in response to his persistent demands to decriminalize and imprison the communities of various cities, including Burrel. In a broader analysis, this issue has to do with the internal problems of the state, where the interests of different political forces are mixed with the fight against mafia, crime and violence. As it seems, in an effort to give it more weight and make it more believable, this new story was also accompanied by well-known names and insinuations about secret links, but without concrete evidence. The Ministry of Interior and the police, according to this version, were confronted with an organized group whose goal was to obstruct efforts to stabilize order in the country. Meanwhile, public opinion still remains unclear about how real this scheme is and how much of it has been used for political purposes. During the conference, officials said that investigations are continuing and that there will be further arrests. In this context, the authorities tried to emphasize the need for citizens to cooperate with the police, stressing that the fight against crime requires not only punitive measures, but also moral and institutional support. It also appears that the debate over public order and the role of the police is turning into a hot political issue on the eve of new electoral confrontations. A few moments after the explosion in the capital, photo: ZHANITTHERPINI Shamata and Shehu yesterday at the press conference