New Belgrade: Dj. I. (20) Arrested Over Molotov Attack
Interior Ministry: suspect threw a Molotov cocktail at a hotel in New Belgrade on August 26, linked to the so called Vracar clan.
Serbia’s Interior Ministry announced on September 17 that it had arrested Dj. I., born in 2006, though some media outlets describe him as a 20 year old. The suspect is accused of the criminal offense of causing general danger.
The arrest was carried out by the Department for Investigation of Explosions, Fires and Accidents, part of the Criminal Police Directorate of the Belgrade Police Department, working with the Technical Directorate and acting on the order of the Third Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade.
According to the ministry’s statement, Dj. I. is suspected of throwing a Molotov cocktail outside the “New Belgrade Premium” hotel in New Belgrade on August 26 of this year. He has been detained for up to 48 hours, after which he will be brought before the Third Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office along with a criminal complaint.
Citing unofficial sources, Kurir and Telegraf report that the suspect is being linked to the so called Vracar clan. Telegraf notes that a case is already underway before the Special Court against the group media refer to by that name, built on encrypted messages gathered during the investigation. The Interior Ministry’s statement makes no mention of that connection.
Glas javnosti had earlier reported on the August 26 attack, citing Tanjug: a Molotov cocktail was thrown onto the hotel’s forecourt that night, no one was hurt, and police said they were working to establish the full circumstances of the incident.
On the night between August 5 and 6, three weeks before the attack now under investigation, the outlets Direktno and Nova reported that an unidentified person had thrown a burning glass bottle at the entrance of a well known hotel in New Belgrade. Staff put out the fire quickly, the material damage was minor, and the attacker fled in an unknown direction. Those reports did not name the hotel, so it is not confirmed whether it was the same building involved in the current arrest.
Telegraf published footage of Dj. I.’s arrest.
Our newsroom has previously reported on the arrest of two alleged members of the so called Vracari, caught with a fuel canister in the Vracar neighborhood, another case media have linked to the same group.
