Serbia arrested 11 citizens accused of inciting hatred between Jews and Muslims

Serbian police detained 11 people for actions related to hate in France and Germany, including desecration of Jewish sites and leaving pig heads near mosques. Authorities reported this on Monday, September 29, 2025.

The suspects, all Serbian citizens, allegedly trained under another Serb who is “currently in hiding,” under the guidance of a “foreign intelligence service.” The Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs’ statement does not specify which organization this service belongs to.

“Their goal was to spread ideas that incite hatred, discrimination, and violence,” the agency added.

In recent years, numerous investigations have been initiated in France in connection with acts of vandalism related to foreign interference, with many experts pointing to Moscow. These attacks are often directed against prominent Jewish and Muslim communities in the country, amid rising tensions due to Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.

European intelligence services have also thwarted terrorist attacks supported by Iran on Jewish sites, reportedly in France and Germany in 2024.

Rise of Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia

In early September, pig heads were found outside mosques in the Paris area, causing outrage over increasing anti-Muslim sentiments.

According to the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, from April to September, the group carried out attacks in Paris and its surroundings, including throwing green paint on the Holocaust Memorial, several synagogues, and a Jewish café.

They also pasted stickers with “genocidal” content and left pig heads near Muslim religious sites, some of which were marked with the name of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Preparation and Motives

In Germany, “concrete skeletons” with inscriptions were also left near the Brandenburg Gate.

France is home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel and the United States, as well as a significant Muslim population. According to the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, several European Union countries have reported an increase in anti-Muslim hatred and anti-Semitism since the start of the war in Gaza following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

On Monday, it became known that the detainees would face a prosecutor on a range of charges, including racial discrimination and espionage. They were arrested in the Serbian capital Belgrade and in Velika Plana, located about 100 kilometers south, in coordination with law enforcement agencies.

Reaction of French Authorities

French investigators quickly identified a car with Serbian plates and a Croatian phone number linked to the crimes near mosques. An investigation is also underway regarding posters placed on the Arc de Triomphe depicting a Russian soldier and the phrase “Thank the victorious Soviet soldier.”

As a result of vandalism at the Holocaust Memorial, synagogues, and a restaurant in late April, three Serbs were arrested and charged in France. According to a judicial source, they were suspected of committing crimes “in the interests of a foreign power.” Since the start of Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2022, Belgrade has maintained close ties with Moscow. Daily direct flights connect the two capitals, and a large Russian diaspora has settled in Belgrade.

The presidents of Serbia and several other high-ranking officials have visited Moscow since the start of the war.