At Tuesday’s session in the Basic Court in Pristina, the accused Dejan Pantić, Milun Milenković, and Miomir Vakić exercised their right to remain silent in the case where they are charged with carrying out a terrorist attack on the Municipal Election Commission (KKZ) offices in North Mitrovica in December 2022. Meanwhile, Aleksander Vlajić chose to give a statement.
Vlajić stated that he has always lived in Mitrovica with his wife, children, and brother. He said he is employed as a Geography teacher and previously worked in the Police, according to “Betimi për Drejtësi.”
He explained that he frequently passed by the KKZ offices while taking his children to school and for other personal needs.
What He Saw That Day
On the day of the incident, while passing by Kollashincka Street, Vlajić noticed the damaged KKZ offices, felt a moral obligation to take photos, and sent them to Slobodan Dimitrijević, the head of those offices.
When asked whether Dimitrijević was present on the day of the attack, Vlajić said he wasn’t sure. He added that after sending the photos, he returned to a car electrician’s shop to pick up his serviced vehicle.
At that point, he said, his wife called asking him to come pick her up. While at the auto-electrician’s shop, he claimed to have heard two explosions.
Contradictions in Testimony
Judge Valon Kurtaj asked for clarification regarding when Vlajić became aware the road was blocked. Initially, Vlajić said he realized this after receiving the call from his wife, but later stated it was while heading to pick up his family.
“Even while I was on the way to my family, people were saying something had happened,” Vlajić said.
He denied having communicated with Milenković and said he only knew Pantić and Vakić from his time working in the police.
“That’s not true. I never called any of them before or after this incident,” he declared.
Silence From Co-Defendants
Earlier, Milenković stated he would remain silent during his defense. After Vlajić’s testimony, both Pantić and Vakić also chose not to speak in their defense.
Judge Kurtaj concluded there were no new proposals for additional material or personal evidence and instructed both sides to prepare final statements for the next hearing.
Background
In the initial hearing held on January 30, 2024, all four defendants pleaded not guilty to the terrorism charges.
According to the indictment, on December 6, 2022, at 14:39, Pantić, Milenković, Vlajić, and Vakić allegedly carried out a terrorist attack by throwing hand grenades and stun grenades at the KKZ offices.
On December 13, 2023, the Special Prosecution of Kosovo (PSRK) announced formal charges against the four men.
Pantić was arrested on December 10, 2022, at the Jarinjë border crossing, and was initially held in pre-trial detention, which was later changed to house arrest on December 28, 2022. His arrest led to Serbian backlash and barricades at border points.
