A threat of an explosion for 50 thousand euros has alarmed a gas station in Dibër, but everything turned out to be a fabricated scenario.
A 21-year-old man is suspected of planting a box equipped with a screen, wires and electronic parts, presenting it as a remote-controlled bomb and threatening to detonate it if the demanded amount in cryptocurrency was not paid. Police identified and arrested him within hours, while a check carried out by RENEA engineers confirmed that the box did not contain explosives.
Police Notification
The police operation codenamed "Threat" is finalized.
He planted a suspicious device and threatened to explode it in exchange for 50,000 euros. The police solved the case within a few hours, identified and arrested the suspected perpetrator.
On 02.10.2026, the services of the Dibër Police Commissariat, in cooperation with the Serious Crimes Investigation Sector and the Operational services at the Dibër DVP, finalized the police operation codenamed "Threat".
As a result of the immediate response and intensive investigation, within a few hours it became possible to identify, capture and arrest in flagrante delicto the citizen EK, 21 years old, suspected of the criminal offense of "Coercion by threat or violence for the provision of property".
After the arrival of RENEA's special engineering forces, the box was opened and inspected, which revealed that there were no explosives inside.
The investigations conducted revealed that this citizen is suspected of having, at around 2:30 p.m., placed a suspicious box on the premises of a gas station owned by citizen Z. Sh., containing a screen, electronic parts and wires, raising suspicions that it was a remote-controlled explosive device.
A threatening letter was placed on the box, demanding payment of 50,000 euros in the form of a fine. The payment was to be made in cryptocurrencies, through a cryptocurrency exchange, to the address specified by the author.
In the letter, the author threatened that the box would explode if payment was not made within the deadline he set, if the box was moved, or if the police or other persons were notified.
He also claimed that the box contained C4 explosives, was equipped with motion sensors and remote control, and that the environment was monitored by cameras.
Under the direction of the Prosecutor's Office, work continues to fully document the circumstances of the incident and identify other persons who may have been involved.
The procedural materials were referred to the Dibër Prosecutor's Office for further action.
