Protection stepped up for ex‑Montenegro president amid assassination plot

Montenegrin services have reported increased protection for the former president of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic. This is all connected to an alleged plan to assassinate the former Montenegrin leader.

Last Saturday, the Montenegrin leader Milo Djukanovic informed security services about a planned assassination attempt on his life. The newspaper "Vijesti," citing a person from the former president's close circle, reported that "an organised criminal group from a neighbouring country plans the assassination in cooperation with the security services of another neighbouring country." The plans for the assassination were allegedly revealed by a high-ranking foreign military officer serving in Kosovo.

Former Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj noted on X that "Serbian criminals and members of paramilitary formations from northern Kosovo" were involved in the assassination attempt on Djukanovic. The politician added that the same individuals were involved in the attempted coup in 2016, which aimed to prevent Montenegro from joining NATO, an organization the country entered on June 5, 2017.

These events are connected, involving both Belgrade and Moscow, stated Hoxhaj.

Montenegrin services emphasize that according to Article 18 of the Law on the President of Montenegro, after leaving office, the president has the right to permanent personal protection based on a security assessment conducted by the National Security Agency.

On Friday, July 12, the Montenegrin court acquitted 13 individuals, including pro-Russian politicians and two Russian intelligence officers, in a retrial related to an alleged election day plot in 2016 to overthrow the government and kill then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic.

In 2019, the accused were found guilty and sentenced to long-term imprisonment. However, in 2021, the verdict was overturned on appeal, and a retrial was ordered.

The attempt to commit a crime or terrorism was not proven beyond reasonable doubt, ruled Judge Zoran Radovic of the Supreme Court of Montenegro on Friday, quoted by Reuters.

All the accused, including the current parliament speaker Andrija Mandic and a former Serbian police general, denied committing any crimes. Both Russia and Serbia also reject the charges. The Democratic Party of Socialists, which was in power in 2016 and is now in opposition, stated that Friday's acquittal was "shameful" and proved the "instrumentalization of the judiciary for the needs of the parliamentary majority."