site.btaOpposition Councilor Arrested in Novi Sad Over Alleged Plot

Misa Baculov, a municipal councilor from the Be a Hero opposition movement in northern Serbia’s Novi Sad, has been arrested, with the Serbian Ministry of Interior releasing a video of the detention, local media reported.

The ministry has not officially stated the reason for his arrest. However, the pro-government newspaper Vecernje novosti, citing information from the prosecution service, claims that Baculov intended to stage his own poisoning and blame Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and the state leadership for an alleged assassination attempt.

“This attempt at subversive activity aimed to spark a civil war across the country. The agenda of those involved in the blockades was to spill blood in the streets, violate the constitutional order, and endanger the life of the President of Serbia and innocent citizens,” Vecernje novosti wrote, describing the incident as “one of the most serious attempts to destabilize the state in modern Serbian history.”

Misa Baculov’s lawyer described the arrest on X as “a big nonsense, but also a new level of state terrorism, because there is no criminal offence here, even if it were true.” He added that no official information has been released regarding the reason for the detention or whether formal charges have been filed.

Baculov is a professional boxer and leader of the Be a Hero opposition movement. He organizes anti-violence campaigns and has participated in anti-government protests following the death of 16 people after the collapse of a train station canopy in Novi Sad on November 1 of last year.

In recent months, Baculov has been repeatedly arrested for various reasons. His first detention during this wave occurred on November 5 during the first mass protest in Novi Sad, which demanded that those responsible for the tragedy face political and criminal accountability.