Some individuals accused by the Special Prosecution of Kosovo for the Banjska attack in Zvecan – or at least one of them sought by Kosovar authorities – were reportedly seen at a police-surrounded protest in downtown Belgrade.
Official Pristina states that persons accused of the September 24, 2023, attack were spotted on June 28 in Pioneer’s Park in Belgrade, directly opposite the office of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. However, there has been no reaction from Serbian state authorities yet.
Using facial recognition tools, Radio Free Europe (RFE) was able to identify Vladimir Vučetić from North Mitrovica as part of the group. Vučetić is one of the 45 individuals indicted by the Kosovo prosecutor’s office. Based on public information in Serbia, however, he is not accused of this criminal offense there.
RFE, based on social media footage, managed to identify at least 11 individuals gathered in several groups, whose members were wearing identical green shirts. According to available photos and videos, these groups stood near the Serbian presidency building and close to police units.
Two Protests with Conflicting Objectives
On June 28, two protests with conflicting aims were held in Belgrade. One was organized by “blocked students,” estimated by the Public Assemblies Archive to have gathered around 140,000 people in Slavija Square, demanding early elections and the removal of the so-called “Qacillend.” This refers to a tent camp set up three months ago in Pioneer’s Park, about one kilometer from Slavija Square, and opposite the Serbian presidency.
The camp hosts students who “want to learn” and are calling for the reopening of faculties, which have been blocked for seven months by protesting students. Their blockade began after a shelter collapse at the Novi Sad railway station, which resulted in 16 deaths.
The group in Pioneer’s Park was joined by some former members of the “Red Berets” – a disbanded formation due to its links to the 2003 assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić. Over time, the area was fenced off and placed under police protection.
While the main crowd blocked Slavija Square and its access roads, supporters of the authorities in Pioneer’s Park organized a “literary evening.” They were joined by key leaders of Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), including Vučić himself at one point. Among them were also Dragoslav Bokan, former leader of the “Beli orlovi” paramilitary group, and Goran Radosavljević-Guri, a former police general linked to the 1999 killing of the Bytyçi brothers – two American citizens of Kosovar origin.
Accused Individuals and Lack of Serbian Response
Opposition Serbian politician Đorđe Miketić shared a photo on X (formerly Twitter) with three men, asking if they were individuals from Banjska. Several Albanian-language media outlets reported that four individuals accused by the Special Prosecution of Kosovo for terrorism and serious crimes against the constitutional order and security of the Republic of Kosovo were part of the groups in Pioneer’s Park.
The indictment was filed for the attack on the Kosovo Police on September 24, 2023, in Banjska, northern Kosovo, where Kosovo Police officer Afrim Bunjaku was killed. In the ensuing armed clashes, three Serbian attackers were also killed. The group, by its own admission, was led by Milan Radoičić, previously known as a businessman from Kosovo. Radoičić and several members of the group retreated to Serbian territory after the clashes.
Using facial recognition tools, RFE confirmed that Vladimir Vučetić from North Mitrovica was among those in the photos published on social media, taken on June 28 near Pioneer’s Park. Vučetić has a public Facebook profile where he often posts family photos, from the gym, or cafes. His social media shows him wearing the same green shirt. In 2010, he also appeared in a jacket with symbols of “Obraz” – an ultra-right-wing organization banned by Serbia’s Constitutional Court in 2012 for discrimination against minorities and spreading hate speech. Seven years earlier, Serbia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs labeled “Obraz” as a clerical-fascist organization.
Of the 45 individuals indicted by Kosovar authorities, only three members of the group are currently on trial in Kosovo. Vučetić and the majority of other accused individuals are at large, and an Interpol arrest warrant has been issued for them.
RFE inquired with Serbia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs about the identification of the individuals near the police brigade and the measures taken regarding the Interpol arrest warrant for Vučetić and others, issued in December 2023 at Kosovo’s request. However, no response was received by the time of this publication.
Kurti Accuses Belgrade
Kosovo’s acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, reiterated on June 30 that those accused of the Banjska attack must be extradited to Kosovo.
“Now, the same people are closer to the President of Serbia [Aleksandar Vučić] than his security. This shows that we were right when we said that this criminal and terrorist group is led and financed by Belgrade and that it is not a group of hooligans. These are people who were trained in Serbia, received orders from there, and carried out aggression against Kosovo,” Kurti told reporters.
The Indictment’s Allegations
Of the 45 accused, Vladimir Tolić, Blagoje Spasojević, and Dušan Maksimović are currently in custody in Kosovo, and their trial is ongoing. The indictment by the Special Prosecution of Kosovo for the armed attack in Banjska charges most of them with terrorism and serious crimes against the constitutional order and security of the Republic of Kosovo.
Radoičić is also accused of facilitating and financing the commission of terrorism and money laundering. The entire group is accused of using violence and heavy weapons to attempt to separate the northern part of Kosovo – where Serb-majority municipalities are located – and unite it with Serbia.
The indictment describes Radoičić as the “leader of the terrorist group.” It states that on September 24, 2023, after blocking the road to the village bridge with two trucks, he and other participants hid and attacked Kosovo Police officers who went to remove the trucks and clear the road. Police officer Afrim Bunjaku was killed in the attack, while officers Alban Rashiti, Çlirim Shaqiri, Mirsad Kryeziu, and Sedat Dushi were wounded.
According to the indictment, the attack lasted until 3:00 PM, “when the overwhelming majority of the group fled through mountainous roads towards the Republic of Serbia.” The indictment states that they were “professionally trained” and had illegally entered Kosovo from Serbia through mountain roads, with dozens of vehicles, some of which were armored and loaded with heavy weapons, ammunition, rocket launchers, explosives, camouflage military uniforms, and other logistical military equipment.
According to the indictment, from January 1, 2017, until September 24, 2023, when the attack in Banjska occurred, Radoičić indirectly secured income, most of which was used for heavy weapons, military uniforms, logistical support, and payment of group participants.
