Berlin warns of tough stance on Radoicic: He will be arrested if he sets foot in Germany

German diplomatic representative in Pristina, Rainer Rudolph, has reiterated that Berlin demands accountability from those responsible for the armed attack in Banjska in September 2023.

In a statement about Milan Radoicic, the organizer of the attack, Rudolph stressed that Germany has condemned the case in the strongest terms and does not relent on the demand that the perpetrators be brought to justice.

“We condemned the attack in the harshest terms and stand by that. We have insisted that the perpetrators face consequences. I am aware that Kosovo has activated an international arrest warrant. This must be enforced,” the ambassador said.

Asked whether Radoicic would be extradited to Kosovo if he entered German soil, Rudolph confirmed that he would be handcuffed. “Of course he would be detained,” he replied during a television interview.

Despite having claimed responsibility for the operation in Banjska, in which police sergeant Afrim Bunjaku lost his life and two colleagues were wounded, Radoicic continues to move freely in Serbia, with an official address in Belgrade. Serbian authorities have still not initiated any criminal proceedings against him.

The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has issued an international arrest warrant for him, at Kosovo’s initiative and through the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

The Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo has filed an indictment for the Banjska incident, including Milan Radoicic among 45 individuals, who is described as “the head of the terrorist formation”.

In this context, the Basic Court in Pristina this year handed down sentences for three individuals: two of them were sentenced to life imprisonment, while another to 30 years in prison.

The remaining defendants are at large, and Kosovo institutions have issued warrants for their capture through INTERPOL. Pristina has repeatedly asked Belgrade for the extradition of Radoicic so that he can appear in court. At the time of the attack, Radoicic was deputy head of the Serbian List, the main political party of Kosovo Serbs, which enjoys Belgrade’s support.

The United States of America and the European Union continue to pressure Serbia to prosecute all those involved in the Banjska attack.