Euronews journalist Eni Ferati has obtained the testimony given before the Saranda Court by Sokrat Vata, the suspect in the killing of a 21-year-old Portuguese tourist, Luis Miguel Varela Mendes in Ksamil.

Vata admitted responsibility for the killing but gave his account of the circumstances, claiming that amid the mass brawl that had broken out, he did not realize the moment when he stabbed the tourist.

Before the court, Sokrat Vata apologized to the victim’s family and expressed remorse over what had happened.

“I apologize to the victim’s family and offer them my condolences. I regret what happened. A group of French tourists were inside the bar. They were making noise, and my friend asked them to keep quiet, but they refused and started insulting us. We approached them and again asked them to keep quiet, but they started hitting us. During the physical altercation, we moved outside. One of them had a knife. I disarmed him and took the knife from him. At that moment, one of the foreign tourists kicked me in the jaw. I fell to the ground, and they tried to hit me again. Instinctively, I moved my hand to defend myself. I don’t remember how I stabbed him because I was in shock. I didn’t know whether any of them had been injured because there were so many of them. I left because I was in shock,” Vata stated.

Nuh Mahmutoglu: “Vata called me and asked for help”

Meanwhile, Turkish national Nuh Mahmutoglu, who was detained following the incident, told the court that he knew Sokrat Vata and that they had worked together in dealing with tourists because Mahmutoglu spoke English.

Mahmutoglu said Vata called him at around 6:30 a.m. and asked for help getting to Tirana, telling him that he had fallen off his motorcycle.

The other detainees also denied involvement before the court, claiming that they had not witnessed the moment of the altercation.

CCTV footage does not clearly capture the moment of the stabbing

An analysis of the CCTV footage shows that the moment when the 21-year-old Portuguese man was stabbed cannot be clearly seen.

After being stabbed, the young man continued walking for several metres before collapsing.

Meanwhile, footage from the bar’s security cameras shows the physical altercation, but it is unclear whether the bar’s waiters realized that the 21-year-old had been injured and failed to notify the police, or whether they were unaware at the time that he had been wounded.

The Saranda Court has imposed security measures on the individuals arrested following the serious incident in Ksamil, in which a tourist was killed.

The suspected perpetrator, Sokrat Vata, has been remanded in custody.

The two Turkish nationals, Ezgi Parlak and Nuh Mahmutoglu, have also been remanded in custody.

Ildi Cekani and Ardit Kasemi have been remanded in custody for 45 days.

Meanwhile, Luciano Seferi, Moisi Matushaj, Romeo Shehu and Kristo Kosho have been ordered to report regularly to the judicial police.

In connection with the same case, David Heurtevent and Bekim Bulica, the owner of the establishment in Ksamil where the incident took place, have been declared wanted by the authorities.