On 15 October, the Serbian authorities (City of Belgrade Police Directorate), in collaboration with Europol, arrested a dangerous contract killer hired by a criminal organisation to carry out a revenge plot.
The plot was orchestrated by the head of an organised crime group, who played a key role in recruiting the contract killer and coordinating the logistics of the assassination.
The leader of the criminal group organised the killer’s escape plan, recruited two additional suspects to conduct surveillance on the intended victim, and procured the weapon used for the assassination, which was brought into Serbia specifically for the attack.
The victim was killed in Belgrade in 2021. The shooter, who pretended to be an elderly man wearing a silicone mask and walking with a limp, shot the victim in the head as he passed him by.
The contract killer was arrested as a result of the action day, together with the organiser and the two accomplices.
Europol’s involvement in the operation focused on intelligence development and operational support. Its experts worked with the Serbian authorities to decode the suspect’s communications, providing intelligence that led to his identification.
Serbian police officers were deployed to Europol’s headquarters in The Hague for this purpose.
On the day of the action, Europol deployed a specialised team to Belgrade to assist the national authorities with their enforcement action.