Vladan Andjelkovic trial begins over Assembly shooting
At the first hearing in Belgrade, the defendant said briefly he is not guilty of the shooting and fire of October 22, 2025. The defense contests the indictment; the trial resumes November 24.
The trial of Vladan Andjelkovic has begun at the Higher Court in Belgrade. He is accused of firing a pistol outside the National Assembly building on October 22, 2025, wounding a man, and then setting fire to the inside of a tent. The main hearing opened on October 12, 2026, ten days before the first anniversary of the incident.
Asked by the judge how he pleaded, Andjelkovic said briefly that he was “not guilty.” It was the first time the defendant had entered a plea in court. He said he would present his defense later in the trial.
What is Andjelkovic charged with?
The indictment was filed by the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade. He is charged with attempted murder, together with the unlawful production, possession, carrying and trade of weapons and explosives, and with causing a general danger.
Prosecutors ask the court to find Andjelkovic guilty and sentence him under the law. After the main hearing, they also want a security measure imposed: compulsory psychiatric treatment and confinement in a health institution. According to the indictment, he was in a state of substantially diminished sanity at the time.
What happened outside the Assembly, according to the indictment?
The incident began at about 10:15 a.m., the indictment states. Andjelkovic carried a Melior pistol and 23 rounds of ammunition without authorization, went to the tents set up on the roadway in front of the National Assembly and entered the second tent in the row.
When the injured party, identified as M. B., approached to check who was inside, the defendant fired several rounds in his direction, the indictment says. One hit him in the right leg. Prosecutors classify the wound as a life-threatening serious bodily injury, and say death was prevented by timely medical help.
The prosecution alleges he then kept firing in different directions and set fire to the inside of the tent in an undetermined way, after which he was detained. The lives and health of M. B. were endangered, along with N. P. and T. S., who were helping him, and other people nearby.
What did the prosecution and defense say at the first hearing?
Both sides began with opening statements. The prosecutor in the case proposed that some of the witnesses be heard at trial, and said that for the rest it would be enough to read out their statements.
The defense attorney said they fully contest the charges. She proposed that the court appoint expert advisers in forensic medicine, ballistics and forensic genetics to clarify the expert findings. The court will decide on the proposals later.
The injured party, Tomislav Stojkovic, joined the prosecution as a private party and filed a property claim.
When is the next hearing?
The trial resumes on November 24, 2026. The injured parties have been summoned to that hearing, and Andjelkovic is due to present his defense.
