BiH: Opposition MP's car torched again, EU warns against political violence

The EU delegation in Sarajevo warned this was extremely concerning, given the frequency of such attacks.

Vukanović wrote on social media that his car was torched on Wednesday evening shortly after he had parked it outside his house.

A similar attack on his property took place in March, when his car was also set on fire. Although security cameras recorded the perpetrator at the time, police never identified or caught him.

After that incident, Vukanović bought a used Ford Fiesta, which has now also been destroyed by fire. On both occasions, he claimed the attacks were linked to his political engagement.

"Behind this latest attack on my family home is the criminal and mafia boss Milorad Dodik, who gave the order, while the perpetrators don't matter. Justice will be imperative," Vukanović said in his first comment.

Dodik had earlier threatened him directly from the parliamentary rostrum, saying he would attack him whenever he saw him, and calling on others to do the same.

The EU delegation in BiH also said it believed the attack was politically motivated.

"Political violence has no place in a democracy. We are very concerned about the number of recent attacks on RS (Republika Srpska) opposition politicians," it said in a statement.

Vukanović is the leader of the opposition Justice and Order List party and the most outspoken critic of Dodik and his ruling structures in the RS National Assembly.

He is supported in this by the largest opposition party, the Party of Democratic Progress (PDP). Its MP in the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliament, Branislav Borenović, was physically attacked late last week.

Two men waited for him outside his residential building in Banja Luka, sprayed him with pepper spray, then beat him before fleeing. The police have not found those attackers either.

The car of Dzevad Mahmutović, a member of the RS Chamber of Peoples, was also torched. His vehicle was set on fire in Tuzla at the beginning of September, and no culprit has been found in this case either.