United Nations police stepped up security around the house of Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova Thursday, following anonymous threats against the long-time leader of the Albanian majority in the ethnically troubled province. U.N. and local police vehicles were deployed at virtually every major intersection leading to the Velanija neighbourhood in Pristina, where Rugova's house is located. Police checked all vehicles in the search for potential threats. Police said that Rugova received several serious threats in the past several days, and the unstable situation in Kosovo raised concern about the security of the province's leader. Rugova, a moderate traditionalist who led Albanians in their decade-long struggle against the regime of former Yugoslav strongman Slobodan Milosevic, escaped an assassination attempt last month unharmed. A roadside bomb exploded near Rugova's convoy in March, injuring several bystanders. --More 0103 Local Time 2203 GMT
