Four Men in Mercedes Beat Two Young Men in Belgrade
The attack happened on the night before Belgrade's Pride walk. Four men got out of a Mercedes, asked two young men if they were gay, then beat them. The attackers remain at large.
Two young men, identified only by their initials, M. M. (25) and N. J. (25), were beaten in central Belgrade on the night between Friday and Saturday, September 4 to 5, 2026. According to unofficial information, the attack was carried out by four men, still unidentified, who got out of a Mercedes bearing Belgrade license plates.
The two young men were walking calmly down the street at the time. A Mercedes suddenly pulled up beside them, and four men got out and approached. They first asked the young men whether they were gay, then immediately attacked them physically.
The attackers struck M. M. and N. J. repeatedly with their fists and feet, targeting their heads and bodies. Afterward, the four men got back in the car and sped off at high speed in an unknown direction.
A police patrol responded to a report and found the injured young men with visible injuries to the head. They were taken by ambulance to the Emergency Center in Belgrade for further examination and treatment.
Police are actively searching for the vehicle and the four men who fled the scene. Work to establish all the circumstances of the incident is ongoing, and the identity of the suspects remains unknown for now. Until any final conviction, the attackers remain suspects.
The offense the four suspects are believed to have committed could carry aggravating circumstances if the investigation confirms that the attack was motivated by the victims’ sexual orientation, as suggested by the question they were reportedly asked before being attacked. Until the investigation is complete, this remains a suspicion rather than an established fact.
Srpske.rs is withholding the full identities of both young men, using only their initials, in keeping with its practice of protecting the identities of victims of violence before proceedings conclude.
The Belgrade Pride Walk Was Scheduled for the Same Day
The attack took place on the night before the day the Belgrade Pride walk was scheduled to take place in the city. Organizers announced that participants would gather starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 5, 2026, with the march itself setting off at 5 p.m.
The route runs from Manjez Park, along Nemanjina and Kneza Milosa streets, to the National Assembly building on Nikola Pasic Square, before the procession returns along the same streets to the park. According to the organizers’ announcement, four entry points were set up: on Prizrenska Street near Hotel Moskva, at the intersection of Resavska and Bircaninova streets, at the intersection of Resavska and Misarska streets, and on Kralja Milana Street near Slavija Square. The entry points open at 4 p.m. and close at 5 p.m., when the walk officially begins.
After the procession returns to the park, organizers open two more entry points for the concert, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the intersection of Resavska and Masarikova streets and at the intersection of Nemanjina and Kralja Milutina streets. According to the announcement, the walk is open to everyone, with no pre-approved list of participants.
The attack and the announced walk fall on the same day, but the available information does not link them. There is no confirmation that the attackers knew about the date or the organized gathering, nor that the attack is connected to it in any way. These are two separate events that happen to coincide in time: one a criminal act now under investigation, the other a registered and announced public gathering.
Police have not yet issued an official statement on the attack on M. M. and N. J., and information about the incident is, for now, coming from unofficial sources.
