On June 20, two individuals lost their lives, and three others sustained injuries in Cetinje when an explosive device detonated, according to the Police Directorate.

Montenegrin police chief Aleksandar Radović confirmed the fatalities of Petar Kaludjerović and Dragan Roganov, who were affiliated with organized crime groups.

His assistant, Lazar Šćepanović, informed the media that the attackers were familiar with the victims’ routines and had the expertise to operate armored vehicles.

“They affixed the improvised explosive device to a solitary tree… which was triggered remotely as four individuals entered the sports center from a considerable distance.”

The explosion reverberated nine hours later at the entrance of the sports center, situated near a primary school and the bus station, shattering windows in the building.

Kaludjerović died at the scene, while Roganović succumbed to his injuries in a Cetinje hospital.

Additionally, Taso Jovanović and Mihajlo Borozan, along with an innocent bystander, Desanka Vujović, were injured.

All three of the injured individuals were transferred to the Clinical Center of Montenegro (KCCG) in Podgorica, located 30 kilometers from Cetinje.

KCCG officials reported that they are no longer in critical condition.

Intelligence data suggested this was foreseeable

Addressing the attack, Šćepanović mentioned that it is suspected to be an act of retaliation among rival criminal factions.

He elaborated that over the past year, “based on intelligence, the situation has escalated.”

Radović, the Montenegrin police chief, stated that there were indications of possible retaliation among criminal groups:

“We received intelligence suggesting this could occur. Sadly, it has happened.”

He acknowledged the challenges that lie ahead in the fight against crime but asserted that the state would prevail over criminality.

Furthermore, state prosecutor Danka Ivanović Đerić mentioned that several leads had been pursued, with police, forensic experts, and explosives specialists conducting investigations at the site of the attack.

Casualties: Who were killed and injured

Earlier this April, Kaludjerović was arrested alongside three others, including Mihajlo Borozan, who was injured in this latest incident, on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives. At that time, a judge ordered their detention.

During the arrest, authorities in Cetinje searched multiple locations associated with organized crime members and individuals linked to their interests.

The second victim, Dragan Roganović, had previously survived an assassination attempt in December 2017 while exiting a vehicle. Roganović was associated with Goran Radoman, who was killed in Belgrade in February 2015.

Radoman was among the initial victims in the feud involving the “Kavački” and “Škaljarsko” clans.

These two Kotor-based criminal organizations have been active in Montenegro for years and have been engaged in conflict since 2014, during which approximately 250 kilograms of cocaine vanished in Valencia. The struggle for control in Montenegro, neighboring countries, and Europe has resulted in over 60 fatalities to date.

In 2015, Tanasije “Taso” Jovanović was implicated in an attempted murder of Nedjeljko Perović in Cetinje. Three years later, he managed to injure Perović and a companion.

Jovanović reached an agreement with the High State Prosecutor’s Office, admitting to his actions and receiving a sentence of four years and eight months in prison. The Senior Court approved this agreement in May 2019.

Since 2012, the total number of homicides linked to mafia conflicts in Serbia and Montenegro has reached 193, as reported by the Black Books, a joint project of the Scream Research Network and Radio Free Europe.