Major international outlets, including Reuters and The Washington Post, have reported on the verdict delivered by the Basic Court in Prishtina against three individuals convicted over the 2023 terrorist attack in Banjska.
According to Reuters, the court sentenced Blagoje Spasojević and Vladimir Tolić to life imprisonment, while Dušan Maksimović received a 30-year prison sentence. The case relates to the September 2023 attack in northern Kosovo, where armed Serbian militants clashed with police, leaving four people dead, including Kosovo police officer Afrim Bunjaku.
International reporting highlights that more than 40 additional suspects remain at large, believed to be in Serbia.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post emphasized that the alleged leader of the group, Milan Radoičić, is still free. Radoičić, a businessman and politician reportedly linked to Serbia’s ruling political structures and President Aleksandar Vučić, has not faced trial despite international pressure.
He was previously detained briefly by Serbian authorities following the attack but was later released. He remains under sanctions imposed by the United States and the United Kingdom over alleged financial criminal activities.
During the verdict announcement, presiding judge Ngadhnjim Arrni confirmed that time already spent in pre-trial detention would be counted toward the sentences. He also ordered the continuation of detention for the convicted individuals until the ruling becomes final, as well as the confiscation of weapons and materials used in the attack.
The indictment, filed by the Special Prosecution of Kosovo in September 2024, charges Radoičić and 44 others with terrorism and attempts to destabilize Kosovo by violently seeking to detach its northern territory.
The Banjska attack remains one of the most serious security incidents in Kosovo in recent years, with ongoing implications for regional stability and international relations.
