Tensions have flared in Kosovo’s city of North Mitrovica, populated mainly by ethnic Serbs, after an explosion, believed to be caused by a hand grenade, occurred shortly before midnight near a hotel, resulting in two people being injured and several cars damaged.

The incident took place on the anniversary (January 16) of the assassination of Kosovo Serb politician Oliver Ivanovic, leader of the Civic Initiative Freedom, Democracy, Justice, who was killed six years ago in front of his party's premises in North Mitrovica.

Emergency response teams from the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) and the Kosovo Force (KFOR) swiftly arrived at the scene, working alongside local police to assess the situation, Koha.net reported.

According to reports, the blast damaged four or five cars, and while one of the injured individuals sustained more serious injuries, they are not life-threatening.

Kosovo Police spokesperson, Baki Elshani, confirmed the incident, stating, "Around 11:50 p.m., a hand grenade allegedly exploded at the Bisevac hotel in North Mitrovica. As a result of the explosion, 4-5 cars were damaged, and two people were injured, one of them has more serious injuries, but not life-threatening."

Serbian politician from Kosovo, Rada Trajkovic, president of the European Movement of Serbs, sees the explosion as a deliberate message aimed at the Serbs in the north, suggesting a potential recurrence of the fate suffered by Ivanovic.

Trajkovic said: "It's a message. When the state does not work for something, which is the security situation in the north, it has a very big impact on the citizens."

Trajkovic accused the Kosovan authorities of allowing individuals associated with Ivanovic's murder to dominate the region's security landscape, leading to an unsettling atmosphere.