Maximum sentences sought for accused contract killers

The lead suspect, Julian Sinanaj, faces 15 criminal charges.
TIRANA, Nov. 2 – Prosecutors are seeking long prison sentences against members of a group accused to be hired killers known for their targeted use of explosives. Their trial is expected to start soon.
They face charges in an investigation that started in January, after a series of small targeted explosions in Tirana and Vlora. Seven people were arrested and handed 38 different charges.
The lead suspect, Julian Sinanaj, faces 15 criminal charges in collaboration with other people.
They are accused of murder, illegal weapon possession and also terrorist acts.
The trial comes after the arrests in January, when police said they dismantled an infamous criminal gang that performed contract killings of a mafia-style nature.
Police said at the time that Sinanaj, 30, had admitted to allegedly killing a number of people in Albania using explosives and other weapons. Albanian police saw the arrests as a major victory on organized crime.
Sinanaj is suspected of being a contract killer and has allegedly committed a series of hits in Albania and Greece. Police found an arsenal of weapons and explosives in his Tirana apartment at the time of the arrest.
The arrests came amid a wave of remote-controlled explosions in the past twelve months that killed or wounded several people in Tirana, Vlora, Durres and Shkodra.
Police suspect the group is involved in at least two murders that occurred in Vlora in 2012 and 2013, and setting explosives in four other cases, including in the attempted assassinations of political leaders like Socialist Vlora Prefect Besnik Dervishi and Vlora Democratic Party leader Ardian Kollozi.
Sinanaj also attracted the interest of Greek authorities for contract killings he has allegedly carried out south of border. Police said he had become an expert at the production and placement of remotely-controlled explosive devices.