The Basic Court in Pristina has found that the individual responsibility of the three defendants convicted in the Banjska case was established separately through evidence linked to their actions, knowledge, intent and specific contributions to the September 24, 2023 terrorist attack in Banjska, Zvečan.
In its verdict issued on April 24, 2026, the court found Vladimir Tolić, Dušan Maksimović and Blago Spasojević guilty of their involvement in the attack. Spasojević and Tolić were sentenced to life imprisonment, while Maksimović received a 30-year prison sentence.
According to the verdict, finalized on June 25, 2026, the court emphasized that the existence of an organized group does not replace the requirement to establish individual criminal responsibility. Each defendant’s knowledge, intent and contribution were assessed separately.
For Blago Spasojević, the court based his responsibility for the terrorist offense on his equipment, weapons, position and participation in carrying out the attack. Regarding the offense against Kosovo’s constitutional order, the court pointed to his involvement in the organized structure, his organized arrival and his knowledge of the barricade.
For Vladimir Tolić, the court considered his connection to an automatic weapon, military equipment and a logistics vehicle, as well as his coordination before the attack and presence during its execution. His responsibility for the offense against the constitutional order was linked to his involvement in the organized structure and his collection and possession of operational information concerning state institutions exercising authority in the area.
As for Dušan Maksimović, the court said his responsibility for the terrorist offense was supported by evidence of communication, organization, guidance and functional support during the attack. For the offense against the constitutional order, the court cited his knowledge and use of mechanisms for organizing barricades and his contribution to a support network operating against state authority.
“For each defendant, the link between the individual contribution and the distinctive elements of each criminal offense was established separately,” the court stated.
The Basic Court found that the essential elements of the terrorist offense had been fulfilled through the killing of Kosovo Police officer Afrim Bunjaku, the armed attack on police officers, the wounding of police officer Alban Rashiti and injuries sustained by other officers.
The verdict also refers to intense gunfire from multiple directions using various types of weapons, as well as the use of lethal devices.
According to the court, the danger posed by the attack was not limited to police officers. Residential houses, auxiliary buildings, apartment blocks, parts of the Banjska Monastery complex and various vehicles were also damaged during the attack.
The court emphasized that the group possessed significant destructive capabilities, including the capacity to cause multiple casualties and continue the attack for an extended period while using different weapons and changing positions.
The court concluded that the terrorist objective was demonstrated by the combination of a barricade established in advance, the positioning of the attackers, the activation of an explosive device, gunfire from multiple directions, the use of heavy weapons and a drone, attacks on vehicles during evacuation, the duration of the assault, the number of participants and the extensive arsenal at their disposal.
These elements convinced the court that the actions were undertaken with the aim of striking the Kosovo Police and creating a security crisis in order to destabilize Kosovo’s political and constitutional structures.
The court nevertheless stressed that the existence of an organized group does not automatically establish the guilt of every member. Individual knowledge, intent and contribution must be established separately for each defendant.
The verdict states that the members of the group followed the hierarchical orders of Milan Radoičić while being heavily armed and directly attacking law-enforcement authorities. The court concluded that the circumstances demonstrated that the participants were aware that their actions could result in destabilization, fear, killings, injuries and other damage.
Regarding the separate criminal offense against Kosovo’s constitutional order, the court found that the structured and organized group sought, through the use of violence, to separate the northern part of Kosovo’s territory and incorporate it into the Republic of Serbia.
One police officer was killed as a result of the violence, while the lives of other people were placed at risk. The court therefore concluded that the actions of the defendants fulfilled the elements of the offense against Kosovo’s constitutional order.
Kosovo’s Special Prosecution Office filed an indictment on September 11, 2024, against Milan Radoičić and 44 others over the September 24, 2023 terrorist attack in Banjska, Zvečan.
According to the indictment, the defendants allegedly used heavy weapons in an attempt to separate northern Kosovo from the territory of the Republic of Kosovo and incorporate it into Serbia. The attack resulted in the killing of Kosovo Police officer Afrim Bunjaku and endangered the lives of other police officers and civilians.
