In a series of incidents that have sent shockwaves through Europe, Serbian authorities have arrested eleven of their own citizens on suspicion of carrying out hate crimes targeting Jewish and Muslim sites in France and Germany between April and September 2025. The acts, which included placing pigs’ heads outside mosques and defacing synagogues and Jewish landmarks with green paint, have raised fears about rising anti-Semitism and Islamophobia—and ignited debate over possible foreign interference in Western Europe’s social fabric.
According to reporting from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and The Brussels Times, the provocations began in earnest in early September, when the streets of Paris awoke to the grisly sight of pigs’ heads placed in front of nine mosques. Some of these heads bore the name of French President Emmanuel Macron, a detail that French authorities say was designed to inflame public sentiment and provoke outrage. Surveillance footage captured two individuals, later identified as Serbian nationals, arriving in a car with Serbian license plates and depositing the heads outside the religious sites. A Normandy farmer later told investigators that he had sold twelve pig heads to two men driving a vehicle with plates that appeared to be Serbian, further cementing the connection.
But the campaign of hate did not stop there. In late May, the Holocaust Museum, three synagogues, and a Jewish restaurant in central Paris were vandalized with green paint. No group claimed responsibility at the time, but French police swiftly arrested three Serbian nationals in connection with the attacks. Investigators also discovered anti-Semitic and Islamophobic graffiti at various sites, and in one instance, stickers reading "genocide" were found at Jewish locations in and around Paris, as reported by The National.
Authorities in Germany were not spared either. In December 2024, a pig’s head was placed in front of a mosque in Frankfurt an der Oder, a crime that German media linked to the same network of Serbian suspects. In Berlin, a concrete "scratch" was found at the Brandenburg Gate, further evidence of the group’s cross-border activities.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez responded to the mosque attacks by launching a full investigation and vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice. On September 9, he stated on X (formerly Twitter), "All efforts are being made to find the perpetrators of these heinous acts." French police, working in concert with their Serbian and German counterparts, soon identified a web of connections leading back to Serbia. In particular, a car with Serbian license plates and Croatian phone numbers was linked to the crimes, and the suspects were tracked down and arrested in Belgrade and Velika Plana, about 100 kilometers south of the capital.
At the heart of the investigation is an alleged ringleader, identified only by the initials M.G., who remains at large. According to Serbia’s Ministry of the Interior, M.G. is suspected of organizing and training the group in Serbia, reportedly acting on instructions from a foreign intelligence service. The ministry stated, "Their goal is also to spread ideas that promote and incite hatred, discrimination and violence based on the differences in the personal characteristics of certain groups mentioned above." Despite the gravity of the accusations, Serbian authorities have not disclosed which foreign intelligence agency may have been involved, and the investigation remains ongoing.
French daily Le Monde has reported that investigators are probing possible Russian involvement, with suspicions that the acts were part of a broader strategy to destabilize French society by sowing discord among religious and ethnic communities. However, as of now, no concrete evidence directly linking Moscow to the crimes has been produced. The Brussels Times cited sources suggesting that the Serbian suspects may have been "ordinary executioners, motivated by money and unaware of the geopolitical implications of their actions." Still, the specter of Russian interference looms large, especially given Serbia’s close relationship with Russia and its refusal to impose sanctions on Moscow amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
French prosecutor Laure Beccuau told BFMTV in September that the tactics used in these attacks echoed previous incidents that have shaken France in recent years, including the infamous "red hands" graffiti sprayed on the Holocaust Memorial in Paris in May 2024. Beccuau explained, "This is why we can be convinced that these incidents are acts of interference." She further noted that the perpetrators were Eastern European nationals who often photographed their acts and sent the images to contacts outside France, a modus operandi that suggests coordination beyond mere local hate crime.
The legal ramifications for the suspects are severe. Serbian authorities have stated that the group of eleven will be tried for violations including racial discrimination and espionage. Nine of the detainees have already been remanded in custody for up to 30 days, as reported by AFP. The suspects are also under investigation for similar hate acts in Germany, and the possibility of additional charges remains open.
These incidents have unfolded against a backdrop of heightened tensions in France and across Europe. France is home to the largest Jewish community in Europe and a substantial Muslim population, both of which have felt increasingly vulnerable since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel and the subsequent Israeli offensive in Gaza. According to the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency, several EU countries have reported spikes in anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic hatred since that time. The French government, for its part, has repeatedly accused Russia of seeking to destabilize the country through disinformation and incitement campaigns, though concrete links remain elusive.
Adding another layer to the story, just days before the arrests in France and Germany, Serbian authorities detained two more individuals suspected of organizing combat training for citizens from Moldova and Romania. According to Moldovan officials, the training was allegedly aimed at preparing participants for clashes with police during the September 28, 2025, Moldovan elections, and was conducted in coordination with criminal groups linked to the Russian Federation.
Serbia’s position is particularly delicate. While the country aspires to join the European Union, it has maintained close ties with Russia and stands as the only European nation not to have imposed sanctions on Moscow. This balancing act complicates both its foreign relations and its ability to respond decisively to accusations of foreign interference originating from within its borders.
As the investigation continues, authorities in France, Germany, and Serbia have yet to provide full answers to the public. The alleged ringleader remains at large, and the true extent of any foreign involvement is still shrouded in uncertainty. What is clear, however, is that the recent spate of hate crimes has left communities across Europe on edge, raising uncomfortable questions about the vulnerability of open societies to external manipulation and the enduring threat of bigotry in all its forms.
For now, the case stands as a stark reminder of the fragility of interfaith coexistence—and the complex, sometimes shadowy forces that can threaten it from afar.
