Albanian man arrested for flying nationalistic banner over European qualifier

Draconian measures ahead of football game in Albania, but Serbs not traveling following last year’s football violence

Albanian police arrested Ismail Morinaj, the man believed to have flown a drone carrying a nationalist banner over a stadium in Serbia during a European qualifier. The incident caused a diplomatic incident between the two countries and ignited racial violence.

Morinaj and three others were arrested as part of a major security raid on the eve of the return match in Elbasan, Albania. The accused lives in Italy but is a regular spectator at the Albanian national team’s matches outside the country.

The police seized two handguns, ammunication, 36 match tickets and a Serbian-made Zastava pistol as well as a Chinese handgun.

There are draconian measures ahead of Thursday’s game with more than 2,000 officers deployed ahead of the match. Fans will need to show ID before entering the stadium.