Second Suspect Arrested Over Danube Grenade Attack

Police have arrested a second suspect over the hand grenade attack on a river raft and a nearby nightclub on the bank of the Danube. The man is M. K. (20) from Belgrade. The arrest came almost a month after the incident itself.

According to a statement from the Interior Ministry, the suspect had gone into hiding in a rented flat in Sabac after the offence. That is where he was located, and he was caught while trying to flee. The Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Smederevo ordered his detention for up to 48 hours.

The suspect is charged with two criminal offences: causing general danger, and the unlawful production, possession, carrying and trafficking of weapons and explosive materials. Guilt has not been established by a final court ruling, and he has the right to a defence throughout the proceedings.

How did the investigation unfold?

The attack took place on June 26, 2026, in the early morning hours. According to the investigation, two hand grenades were thrown at the raft, a floating hospitality venue, while an explosive device was also aimed at a nearby nightclub.

In the first phase of the investigation, a first suspect was arrested, listed in the case under the initials L. R. Prosecutors suspect that M. K. took part in arming and throwing the grenades together with him.

The case was worked on by the criminal police in Smederevo, together with the Sabac Police Department and the Criminal Police Directorate. Coordination was led by the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Smederevo, which will receive a criminal complaint against the suspect once his detention expires.

Attacks of this kind, where explosive devices are used at places where large numbers of people gather, fall under offences the law treats very severely. The charge of causing general danger applies precisely to situations in which the life or body of an undefined number of people is endangered, regardless of whether anyone was ultimately injured.

What is known about the circumstances

Rafts and nightclubs on Belgrade’s rivers have for years been places where large crowds gather, especially during the summer and at night. A hand grenade attack on such a venue carries a high risk to everyone present, as well as to anyone in the immediate vicinity at the time.

For now the investigation has not publicly disclosed a motive for the attack, nor details of any earlier links between the suspects and the venue that was targeted. Such elements are usually established through further pre-trial proceedings, forensic examination of the traces found, and questioning of the suspects.

Two names are known in the case so far, both listed by initials because guilt has not been established by a final ruling. It remains for the coming stages of the proceedings to establish the exact role of each of them, and whether any further individuals are involved.

The sequence of judicial steps in such cases is clear: detention, a criminal complaint, then a prosecutor’s decision on how the case proceeds. A verdict comes only at the end, after evidence has been presented before a court.

Do you think attacks with explosive devices on hospitality venues deserve tougher penalties than the current legal framework allows?