Waiter suspected in restaurant murder case placed in custody

BELGRADE - Petar U, a waiter at a Belgrade restaurant who is suspected of involvement in covering up a recent murder of a man inside the establishment, has been placed in custody for up to 30 days.

The Higher Court in Belgrade has placed him in custody to prevent witness-tampering or a repetition of the committed criminal offences, the court's spokesperson Ivana Coguric told Tanjug in a statement.

He is suspected of committing the crimes of failure to report a criminal offence and the perpetrator of a criminal offence, as well as the crime of assisting the perpetrator following a criminal offence.

Earlier, the suspect appeared for a hearing before the Higher Public Prosecutors' Office in Belgrade, where he exercised the right to remain silent.

He is suspected to have been on the scene at the time of the criminal offence, which he initially denied during an interview by police.

Alongside other suspects in the case, the man is suspected of involvement in actions that were aimed at covering up the criminal offence of aggravated murder and the perpetrators.

To date, 11 people have been arrested in connection with the killing of a man identified as A N, which took place at the "27" restaurant in Belgrade's Senjak district.