Skopje police informed the public that today’s machine gun attack on the Mayor of Aracinovo Ridvan Ibrahimi left two people from his entourage injured.

Ibrahimi was attacked at 13:25, at the entrance to the lawless majority Albanian village north-east of Skopje, known as a center of drug trafficking and as the site of a major battle during the 2001 civil war.

The attackers fired from a Kalasnikov, while in a moving vehicle, on Ibrahimi and his group who were walking on foot, and then fled the scene. Ibrahimi was reportedly with a security detail, who helped push him out of the way. One of those injured is the driver of the Mayor’s car, who has a gunshot wound to the chest. The 30 year old man is treated in the Skopje Clinic. There are no reports about the condition of the second injured person.

Police sealed entrances to the village and is monitoring the near-by ring-road and roads leading to Kosovo, which is the usual escape route for contract killers.

It’s not immediately clear what could be the motivation for the attack. It is reported that the entire town hall was under threats over a property where he is pushing plans to build a football stadium.

We began the process to adapt the land for this purpose, we involved the Transportation Ministry as well. But, unfortunately, the property is held unlawfully by a group of people who caused an incident. They are also threatening me in other areas, I can’t appoint a director of the elementary schools in the municipality – this group intimidates the candidates and they drop out of the race, Ibrahimi told TV21 prior to the attack.

In comments made last year about the simmering tensions, Ibrahimi blamed previous Mayor Brahim Ajvazi. Ajvazi then urged DUI party leader Ali Ahmeti to intervene and settle the disputes in Aracinovo.

Albanian parties in Macedonia are on edge, as the DUI party faces a rare serious challenge for power from a united bloc of opposition parties. This has raised concerns about possible violence on election day, as the two sides may try to control polling stations – as has happened in the past during competitive races. Interim Interior Minister Pance Toskovski blamed the DUI – SDSM dominated Government that they are blocking his proposal to remove the police commissioner of Tetovo, who will have a crucial role in securing the elections in the majority Albanian north-west of the country.

The country is also experiencing an open drug war between two powerful gangs in the capital Skopje, that have led to multiple casualties over the past few years, and Aracinovo is notorious as an old base for the Albanian drug mafia.