In the absence of witness Dragana Antonijevic, today’s scheduled hearing for the “Banjska” terrorist attack case failed to take place. The accused in this case are Blagoje Spasojevic, Vladimir Tolic, and Dushan Maksimovic, who were again brought to the courthouse today in handcuffs and under high security.
At the start of the hearing, the presiding judge, Arben Hoti, stated that the witness had not accepted the summons to testify before the court, although her father had accepted it on her behalf.
According to Hoti, Dragana Antonijevic’s father informed the court that she is currently in Serbia.
“Based on the evidence received by the court so far, the witness has not accepted the summons properly. Specifically, the summons for the witness was accepted by Dragolup Antonijevic, who in some way left it open whether she would appear at today’s court hearing. However, upon accepting the summons, he stated that she is in Serbia and also mentioned a date when she might return. Regarding this witness, the court notes that she has not justified her absence. The court will wait to see if she can justify her absence based on documentation or reliable statements, after which it will decide whether she will be brought in by police authorities or summoned again. Under these circumstances, we cannot proceed with today’s hearing,” he said.
During the hearing, the presiding judge also announced that the next witness to be heard in this case on October 27 will be a witness from North Macedonia.
He said that the witness will testify via video link.
“At the next hearing, a witness from the Republic of North Macedonia will testify. Through international legal cooperation, the court has already contacted the authorities in North Macedonia, and before the date of the hearing, we will conduct a check and a test to be ready for October 27,” he emphasized.
During yesterday’s hearing, an anonymous witness referred to as A2 was heard. His testimony was conducted without the presence of the public or media, as requested by the prosecution. According to the case prosecutor, Naim Abazi, the closure of yesterday’s hearing was requested to protect both the witness and the judicial process.
The trial hearing against the three accused in the “Banjska” case—Vladimir Tolic, Dushan Maksimovic, and Blagoje Spasojevic—was held on April 17, 2025. At that hearing, all three accused pleaded not guilty. The court decided to separate the criminal procedure for these three defendants.
The Special Prosecution of Kosovo filed an indictment on September 11, 2024, against Milan Radoicic and 44 others for the terrorist attack on September 24, 2023, in Banjska, Zvečan, in which police officer Afrim Bunjaku was killed, as reported by KosovaPress.
The defendants are charged with committing terrorist acts, serious crimes against the constitutional order and security of the Republic of Kosovo, facilitation and financing of terrorism, and money laundering.
Forty-two of the accused, including Milan Radoicic, who publicly admitted to leading the Banjska attack, remain at large.
