Beqir Valteri

Beqir Valteri (Albanian: Beqir Valteri; 6 January 1892 – 14 April 1945) was an Albanian politician and nationalist who held Republican and Fascist ideas. In the 1920s he was a supporter of Fan Noli. He was the first assassin of Ahmet Zogu. In the 1940s, He became a member of the Albanian Fascist Party, After the communists came to power, he was tried by the Special Court, that sentenced him to death.

Early life
Valteri was born into a family of German origin (it is widely believed that his ancestor were invited by Skanderbeg as specialists to help manufacture weapons). He received his education in Italy. He was a supporter of Albanian independence and the republican movement of Fan Noli. He was a deputy of the first Albanian parliament in 1920–1923.

Assassination attempt on Zogu
On February 23, 1924, Valteri tried to assassinate Prime Minister Ahmet Zogu, leader of the conservative forces, later King of Albania. At the entrance to the parliament building, Valteri fired three bullets, all three bullets hit around Zogu, but not a single wound was fatal. Valteri barricaded himself in one of the rooms and engaged in a shootout with the gendarmes, singing patriotic songs, until the deputies convinced him to surrender. After a short time, he was released (Zogu met him in custody).

The story of Valteri's attempt on Zogu's life is controversy with ambiguities. In several sources, the attacker is named as a young man of 16–18 years old, while Valteri was over 30 by that time. Many questions were raised by the quick release of Valteri who committed the terrorist attack (this course of action was not typical for Zog to do). It remains unclear whether there was a connection between the actions of Valteri and the anti-Zogist leader Avni Rustemi, who was killed in a conspiracy by conservative Zogu supporters two months later.

Collaboration with the axis
Valteri moved to Italy, where he became fascinated with the ideas of fascism. Returned to Albania during the Italian occupation. He was a member of the Albanian Fascist Party and served in the Fascist militia.

In 1944, when the Italian occupation ended paving the for the German occupation, Valteri founded the nationalist Great Albanian Fatherland Party. He was a member of the collaborationist parliament. He opposed Albanian communists.

Valteri was at odds with Social Democrat Musine Kokalari. She noted in her memoirs that it was under the German occupation and the growing war in Albania, that she blamed Valteri and many others. Especially Right-wing and Anti-communists as responsible for the large chaos. Valteri lived in Tirana before his execution.

Trial and execution
After the communists came to power in November 1944, Beqir Valteri was arrested in March 1945, as part of a large group of anti-communist politicians, he appeared before the Special Court. On April 13, 1945, Valteri was sentenced to death and executed by firing squad the next day in Tirana.