Explosion in Split Linked to Attack on Vehicle Owner
Police investigate whether the activation of a pyrotechnic device in a 45-year-old's Nissan Qashqai was retaliation after he was seriously injured outside his building.
Police investigate whether the activation of a pyrotechnic device in a 45-year-old's Nissan Qashqai was retaliation after he was seriously injured outside his building.
A powerful explosion that echoed through Velebitska Street in Split in the early hours of Tuesday, around 1 a.m., startled residents and drew the attention of the entire city. Police quickly confirmed that a pyrotechnic device of category F4 had been activated in a parked Nissan Qashqai, and now they are investigating a possible connection to an earlier violent incident in which the vehicle's owner sustained serious injuries.
According to Slobodna Dalmacija, the 45-year-old owner of the destroyed Nissan had been the victim of a physical assault just five days earlier, on August 7, 2026, in front of his building. Shortly before 2 a.m., he heard a commotion from a group of seven to eight younger individuals and went down to ask them to quiet down.
Instead of calming the situation, insults followed. One of the young men, according to unofficial information, called him a "faggot" and told him that if their gathering bothered him, he should simply move out. The verbal altercation escalated into physical violence when one of the group charged at the 45-year-old and punched him in the head. The force of the blow broke his nose with a bone displacement, which was classified as a serious injury.
Police cordoned off a section of Velebitska Street between the intersections with Vinkovačka Street and Brune Bušića Street on the morning after the explosion, August 12, to conduct an investigation. Three members of the Split Public Fire Brigade with one vehicle also responded, but fortunately, no one was injured in the blast.
"Regarding the damage to the vehicle in Split, we inform you that according to preliminary results of the investigation, there are grounds for suspicion that a pyrotechnic device of category F4 was activated in the parked car," police stated for DalmacijaDanas.
Pyrotechnic devices of category F4 are intended exclusively for professional use and are prohibited for civilians. According to unofficial information, investigators suspect that the explosion in the car was a kind of message and warning to the 45-year-old, who, as reported, has no ties to the criminal underworld. Police are continuing their criminal investigation into both incidents to determine all circumstances and the link between the attack and the explosion.
As further reported by the Split-Dalmatia Police Department, the detonation occurred on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at approximately 12:50 a.m. "There are no injured persons, and according to initial information, no material damage was observed on other parked vehicles or nearby structures," they said. Due to the investigation, a section of the road from the intersection of Velebitska Street and Brune Bušića Street to the intersection of Velebitska and Dubrovačka Street was temporarily closed, and forensic investigators in white protective suits could be seen at the scene. According to sources close to the investigation, it was a white car that sustained damage, but fortunately, there were no injuries.
