A powerful explosion hit the Macedonian capital today, injuring a 13-year-old boy and damaging a restaurant frequented by ethnic Albanians.
An interior ministry spokesman said the blast occurred around 3.30 a.m. (5.30 a.m. Irish time) in front of the "Business" restaurant, injuring the boy and smashing windows.
It is the third similar explosion in Skopje in the past two weeks, raising tensions ahead of key parliamentary elections on September 15th that form part of a peace deal between ethnic Albanian rebels and the government.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but all sides of Macedonian politics accuse their opponents of encouraging acts of violence to destabilise the election process.
Macedonia came close to civil war last year when ethnic Albanian rebels seized territory and demanded better rights for the minority community. The seven-month conflict ended with a peace deal last August.
AFP