Kosovo arrests five Serbs suspected of 1999 massacre

The detainees have been identified as members of the Serbian police special forces at the time of the massacre. The indictment against them follows another indictment, in which 21 Serbs are accused of involvement in the massacre.

None of them, including former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's security chief Rade Markovic, have been arrested, but prosecutors have requested that the trial be held in their absence.

In January 1999, Serbian forces attacked the village of Racak (also spelled Recak) after four Serbian policemen were killed. The following day, around 45 dead ethnic Albanians were found, many of them shot at close range.

The incident triggered NATO bombing attacks on Serbia - attacks that ended with the withdrawal of Serbian troops from Kosovo.