Only Dušan Maksimović was present at the announcement of the verdict for the attack in Banjska near Zvečan, which took place on September 24, 2023, when Kosovo Police Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed.
Kosovo characterized the attack as a terrorist act and accused Serbia of involvement, while Belgrade rejected the claims of the authorities in Pristina.
Judge Ngadnjim Arni He said, reading the court's decision, that all three were guilty and stated that the goal of the armed group in Banjska was to destabilize the basic structures of Kosovo.
"Through a well-organized plan, they tried to separate the northern part of Kosovo's territory and annex it to Serbia," he said.
The three defendants are part of a group of 45 people, including Milan Radoičić, the then vice-president of the Serbian List, the largest Serb party in Kosovo, who is described in the indictment as the "head of a terrorist group."
The court decided to separate the criminal proceedings against Spasojević, Tolić and Maksimović, who have been in custody since September 2023, and rejected the request of the Special Prosecution of Kosovo to try 42 more people in absentia.
They are on the run, and Kosovo has issued an Interpol arrest warrant for them.
What did the prosecutor say?
After the verdict was pronounced, the special prosecutor Naim Abazi He said that the decision was flawed because it did not include the rest of the accused, including Milan Radoičić, but added that the Prosecution was making every effort to bring them to justice.
Describing this case as the most complex in Kosovo, Abazi said that the verdict is a message to anyone who tries to commit such an act that they will face "the punishment they deserve."
When asked how the Special Prosecution intends to bring the main accused, Milan Radoičić, to justice, Abazi said that international mechanisms, such as INTERPOL, will be used.
"Serbia will certainly cooperate because justice, in this case, has nothing to do with politics. There is no compromise with justice," Abazi told the media after the verdict was announced.
Regarding the decision on Maksimović, Abazi said that the verdict will be reviewed and an appeal will be filed.
What does the defense say?
Blagoje Spasojević's lawyer, Ljubomir Pantovic, He assessed that the sentence was "too harsh" and that it was outside the Criminal Procedure Code and the rules for sentencing.
"The Trial Chamber did not have the strength to resist the constant pressure and expectations of the Kosovo public when it comes to the Banjska case," he said, adding that he would appeal the verdict.
Jovana Filipovic, Dušan Maksimović's lawyer, said that her client was convicted of using a weapon even though, as she said, the DNA test of gunpowder particles was negative for him.
"This verdict violates all legal principles of criminal law. I am sure that the Appellate Court panel will consider it more carefully and issue a verdict based on the law and not on expectations," she said.
Milos Delevic, who defended Vladimir Tolić, also assessed that the court "succumbed to public pressure" and that the qualification of the criminal offenses was "political".
"There are no elements of the criminal offense of terrorism, and especially no elements for the second count of the indictment, the secession of the northern part of Kosovo. We will appeal this decision," he said.
Reactions of the authorities in Pristina
Minister of Internal Affairs of Kosovo Dželjalj Svečlja, he said the verdict against the three defendants represented the first step towards justice for the victim of slain police officer Afrim Bunjaku.
He added that all those accused of the armed attack in Banjska should face maximum sentences.
"Justice for Banjska does not end here. It will only be complete when all those responsible are brought to justice, led by Milan Radoičić," Svečlja wrote on Facebook.
He assessed that the attack in Banjska was not an isolated act, but "an organized operation with the state support of Serbia, with the aim of threatening the constitutional order and annexing part of the territory of Kosovo."
"Today it is clear: the criminal and paramilitary structures in the north have been dismantled. The constitutional order has been protected. Now it remains for Serbia to be held accountable for its political, financial and logistical role in this aggression," he wrote.
Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo and Acting President of Kosovo Albuljena Hadziu, said that the verdict is "proof that the attack on the Kosovo Police, the constitutional order and the security of our country will not go unpunished."
"However, justice for the terrorist attack in Banjska does not end here. It will only be complete when all those responsible, led by Milan Radoičić, are brought to justice," she stated.
What does the Serbian List say?
The Serbian List, the largest Serb party in Kosovo that has the support of Belgrade, condemned the verdict in the Banjska case, saying that "valid evidence" was not presented and that individual responsibility was not established.
"This verdict will not satisfy justice or the injured parties - it represents retaliation that further threatens the security and rights of the Serbian people," the statement said.
This is the first time that the Serbian List has reacted to the armed attack in Banjska and so far it has not even distanced itself from its former vice president Radoičić.
As stated in the statement, "the fact that the most severe qualifications, such as terrorism and crime, are lightly attributed to Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, without any real basis in evidence, is particularly worrying."
They called on the international community to respond and ensure respect for the rule of law and guarantee equal rights for all citizens, regardless of nationality.
Reactions in Belgrade
The Serbian Government's Office for Kosovo assessed that the first-instance verdict of the Pristina court regarding the tragic events in Banjska was "draconian".
The statement stated that it was passed "under direct political pressure." Albina Kurtija and the anti-Serbian regime in Pristina, which has been carrying out media, political and other stigmatization and criminalization of the arrested Serbs since the very beginning of the process."
It was stated that “the tragic events in Banjska were a consequence of the years of terror of the Albin Kurti regime against the Serbian people in northern Kosovo.”
In a statement, the office also asked why no one was held accountable for the deaths of three Serbs during the attack.
RFE/RL has requested a comment on the verdict from both the Serbian Government and the President of the country. Aleksandar Vučić.
What does the indictment say?
According to the Prosecution, the accused are suspected of having attempted to secede the northern part of Kosovo and annex it to Serbia, using violence and heavy weapons.
Police officer Afrim Bunjaku was killed, police officer Alban Rašiti was wounded by gunfire, and police officers were injured. Clirim Sahiti, Mirsad Krijeziu i To the Soul.
Three Serbian attackers were also killed.
The defendants are charged with the criminal offense of “Serious crimes against the constitutional order and security of the Republic of Kosovo”.
Radoičić was identified as the leader of a group of suspects in the attack in Banjska.
According to the Prosecution, from 2017 to September 24, 2023, he obtained income through an organized group, with the aim of arming, providing logistics, and financing members of the group to commit terrorist acts.
For this reason, he is charged with aiding and abetting terrorism.
Also, according to the Prosecution, it is suspected that Radoičić, with the help of one of the accused,, Radul Stević, as well as his business entities, converted proceeds from criminal activities into movable and immovable property, and transferred them to third parties in order to conceal their origin.
On that basis, he is charged with money laundering.
Radoičić is in Serbia and an indictment against him, although it was announced, has not yet been filed.
The defendants Spasojević, Tolić and Maksimović denied the charges against them at the court hearing that began on April 17, 2025.
During the trial, Spasojević stated that he did not attack anyone with explosives or heavy weapons, nor did he kill or injure anyone.
He also denied that he had any intention of working towards the secession of northern Kosovo and its annexation by Serbia.
Tolic admitted that he was in Banjska on September 24, but stated that the motive for his presence was not as described in the indictment.
He said he did not shoot anyone and did not have access to explosives, adding that he could not have predicted the course of events or their consequences. He also stated that he was seriously wounded, for which he was treated in Pristina.
Maksimović, who was an employee of the Rajska Banja Hotel, stated that on September 24th he met with friends at a weekend house to grill meat.
Although videos of attacks on the Kosovo Police, as well as its surveillance, were found on his phone, he said he did not remember those videos.
In its closing arguments at the trial, the Prosecution requested life imprisonment for the three defendants.
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