Kosovo Indicts 45 on Terrorism Charges Over 2023 Attack

PRISTINA – Kosovo has indicted 45 individuals on terrorism charges related to the September 2023 attack on the village of Banjska, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing tensions between Pristina and Belgrade.

The indictments follow a violent incident in which ethnic Serb gunmen, numbering about 80, stormed the village and engaged in a gunfight with police, resulting in the deaths of four people, including a Kosovar police officer. The attackers, armed and barricaded themselves in a Serbian Orthodox monastery, eventually fled into Serbia, leaving behind a cache of weapons and explosives.

Blerim Isufaj, chief prosecutor of the Special Prosecution of Kosovo, stated that the 45 suspects face charges related to terrorism, criminal offenses against the constitutional order, financing of terrorism, and money laundering. Milan Radoicic, the alleged leader of the attack and a former Kosovo Serb politician, is among those indicted. Radoicic has admitted to his involvement but remains in Serbia, which does not recognize Kosovo’s independence and is unlikely to extradite the suspects.

The attack has exacerbated longstanding tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, with Kosovo accusing Serbia of orchestrating the violence. Serbia denies any involvement. Interpol has issued international arrest warrants for 19 of the suspects, including Radoicic.

The region remains fraught with tensions, particularly in northern Kosovo where about 50,000 Serbs live and largely reject Pristina’s authority, instead aligning with Belgrade. This community has frequently clashed with Kosovo police and international peacekeepers.