Former Albanian president Sali Berisha punched in the face during anti-government protest in Tirana

A 31-year-old man was arrested in Tirana after punching the former president of Albania, Sali Berisha, in the face.

While leading hundreds of protesters during an anti-government protest today, Tuesday, December 6, Sali Berisha, the former president of Albania, was punched in the face by a man who rushed out from the crowd. The man was duly arrested.

The incident occurred in the Albanian capital of Tirana. Berisha, who leads the opposition centre-right Democratic Party, was heading towards a venue where a summit between EU leaders and their Western Balkan counterparts was taking place.

In video footage posted online, a 31-year-old man is seen lunging at the 78-year-old and punching him in the face. The man was subsequently overpowered by his security team. Police sources later claimed that the detainee had a history of violence and drug trafficking offences and was known to suffer from ‘psychiatric irregularities’.

The opposition leader was part of a demonstration being held against the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama. They are demanding early elections in the country. Rama has been accused of alleged corruption by the opposition party. He is also being blamed for the recent mass exodus of young Albanians to European countries.

Following the incident, Rama was accused by Berisha of being directly responsible for the attack. He claimed it had most likely been carried out to prevent his supporters from protesting, as reported by dailymail.co.uk.

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