A spokesman for the international peace-keeping force K-For said that distraught relatives of the dead Serb approached a patrol of members of the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment in Pristina on Monday night.

As the patrol investigated the circumstances of the Serb's death, they were fired at from a house in the north eastern part of Pristina.

The patrol surrounded the house and shortly afterwards arrested five Kosovo Albanians who are believed to be members of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

The arrested men are now being questioned.

Serb troops withdrawing from Pristina

By midnight on Tuesday, the Yugoslav army and the Serb police are required to leave a broad section of southern Kosovo, including the regional capital Pristina.

The withdrawal is going according to plan, but it has been marked by tension and violence, with other shooting incidents between the Albanian and Serb communities in Pristina reported overnight by British military sources.

Many Serb civilians in Kosovo are unconvinced that K-For troops will be able to offer them enough protection as old scores are settled.

Thousands have fled the province in recent days, particularly from the south-western town of Prizren, and a large convoy is also said to have left Pristina overnight.

The commander of K-For, Lieutenant General Sir Mike Jackson, has warned that there is currently a dangerous and volatile atmosphere in Kosovo, with emotions running high.