[8][14] A day of mourning was declared in Skopje's Butel municipality and flags were at half-mast on the town hall as the five victims were buried.

[2][19] In the early hours of 1 May 2012 about 600 police officers raided several properties, arresting 20 people on a variety of charges.

Macedonian Interior Minister Gordana Jankuloska alleged that the perpetrators of the killings were radical Islamic terrorists, some of whom had fought in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The arrests took place in the villages of Šuto Orizari, Jaja Paša and Aračinovo, and weapons were found in the residences of the suspects.

The Skopje protest was organized by young people, who wanted to march in the Saraj Municipality where there is an Albanian-speaking majority.

[26][27] Macedonian demonstrators on 18 April marched through the main street of Širok Sokak in Bitola and lit candles for the victims under the city's clock tower.

Protesters displayed Saudi flags and some wore T-shirts with inscriptions such as "Islam will dominate the world".

[9] The following day, American Republican politician Joseph J. DioGuardi, ethnic Albanian by origin, said: "The Macedonian and Serbian governments have designed a well-orchestrated top secret plan, aiming to compromise and stain the freedom-loving Albanian people in front of the world public opinion.

Concern was also expressed for Haki Aziri, who—under the witness protection program—was missing for six days before he appeared in court.

Alil Demiri and Afrim Ismailovic were sentenced in absentia because they were imprisoned in Kosovo, serving prison terms for the illegal possession of weapons.

According to the charges, the two fugitives, Alil Demiri and Afrim Ismailovic, killed the five Macedonians with automatic rifles, while the other five men provided logistical support.

[40] Regarding the convictions, political scientist Florian Bieber wrote: "The prosecution blamed a radical-Islamic orientation for the murders, although religious and Albanian-nationalist motives blur into one another.

But its case was mostly circumstantial and it could not establish clear evidence of the alleged fundamentalism of the accused or indeed their guilt, relying strongly on the statement of a protected witness.

"[41] In July, several thousand ethnic Albanian protesters clashed with riot police in Skopje at a rally against the convictions.

The demonstrators threw stones outside the main courthouse, but police blocked them from reaching the government building and forced them back into the Albanian-dominated Cair municipality, where sporadic clashes continued.

[44] The prosecution asked the Supreme Court in October 2017 to end the life sentences, citing new circumstances and evidence.

In February 2021, Agim and Afrim Ismailovic, Alil Demiri, and Fejzi and Haki Aziri were once again found guilty by the Skopje Criminal Court.

A sixth defendant, Samir Ljuta, was acquitted of helping to commit the crime after the prosecutors withdrew all charges against him due to lack of evidence.