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Mafia Showdowns Grip Belgrade: Shootings, Arson, and Injuries Continue Unabated
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ Serbia /Crime & Justice

Mafia Showdowns Grip Belgrade: Shootings, Arson, and Injuries Continue Unabated

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Belgrade is experiencing a surge in mafia-related violence, with recent incidents including shootings, arson attacks, and injuries.
  • The latest violence, including a shooting in a restaurant and firebombings of bars, has drawn public attention, though experts say such conflicts have been ongoing.
  • Journalists express concern that the violence indicates a symbiotic relationship between organized crime and authorities, predicting further escalation.

Belgrade is once again resembling the lawless streets of Sicily or 1930s Chicago, gripped by a wave of violent mafia showdowns that have left citizens shaken and authorities scrambling.

We see that this government not only has no control, but is in symbiosis with organized crime, and such consequences are inevitable.

โ€” Vuk Cvijiฤ‡Expressing concern about the deep entanglement of organized crime with the state.

In the past ten days alone, the Serbian capital has witnessed a shocking escalation of organized crime activity. A shooting incident at a Belgrade restaurant left one person wounded, while multiple bars on the Vraฤar plateau were targeted with Molotov cocktails, causing fires. These events, while drawing renewed public attention, are seen by many as merely the latest manifestations of a conflict that, according to N1 sources, has never truly ceased.

Journalists on the ground express grave concerns about the state of public safety and the apparent inability of law enforcement to contain the escalating violence. Vuk Cvijiฤ‡, a journalist, fears that the current situation is unprecedented, even compared to the turbulent 1990s. He suggests that the authorities are not only failing to control organized crime but may be in a state of 'symbiosis' with it, predicting that the visible consequences will only become more pronounced.

They are targeted because the perpetrators think the local business makes a lot of money and they want a part of that money. And why is this happening - it is obviously happening because the police are obviously unable to cope with this phenomenon.

โ€” Miloลก ลฝ. Laziฤ‡Explaining the motive behind the attacks on businesses and criticizing the police response.

Another journalist, Miloลก ลฝ. Laziฤ‡, points to the apparent lack of police effectiveness, suggesting their priorities are misplaced and their focus is elsewhere, not on tackling organized crime. He notes that the targeted restaurant, 'Dลพeri,' was also attacked earlier this year, indicating a pattern of intimidation and violence aimed at businesses perceived as profitable. The Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs has not responded to inquiries regarding these incidents, leaving many questions unanswered and fueling public anxiety.

Mafia showdowns in Belgrade have never really stopped, and the public is only paying more attention to it after the murder in Senjak.

โ€” N1 sourcesIndicating that the current wave of violence is part of an ongoing criminal conflict.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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