Late on Thursday night, an explosive device was detonated beneath the window of the editor-in-chief of the independent daily newspaper Vijesti in Podgorica. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries among the fifteen individuals present in the building at the time, although several windows were shattered in the explosion.
‘Terrorist attack’
Security cameras captured footage of an individual wearing a black jacket with a hood, who approached the rear of the building and placed the explosive device under the editor’s window, resulting in a flash explosion.
Željko Ivanović, the CEO of Vijesti, characterized the incident as a “terrorist attack on the newspaper” and an “attempted murder of the editor-in-chief, Mihailo Jovović.” He attributed responsibility to the government, stating, “Whoever ordered and executed this new crime, the responsibility lies with Prime Minister Milo Đukanović and his coalition government.” Ivanovic contended that the attack was the culmination of an ongoing campaign by the government and associated entities against independent media in Montenegro.
Investigations underway
Local law enforcement in Podgorica has initiated an investigation into the incident, and the Minister of Interior, Rasko Konjevic, accompanied by senior police officials, visited the Vijesti premises following the attack. Konjevic characterized the bombing as “an attack on the country” and expressed expectations that the police would identify and apprehend the perpetrators, halting the “cycle of undetected attacks on Vijesti.”
Dunja Mijatović, the OSCE’s representative for media freedom, strongly condemned the attack and called for a “swift and transparent investigation” to identify and prosecute those responsible.
This incident is part of a series of attacks and acts of intimidation against Vijesti and its staff, including incidents such as stonings, bombings, physical assaults on journalists, and arson attacks on vehicles associated with the newspaper.
