A bungling male model was killed in a massive explosion after he is believed to have mishandled a powerful explosive.
Martin Sipkovski is believed to have accidentally detonated the device while handling it – killing himself instantly.
The blast tore apart the 21-year-old’s flat and wrecked two neighbouring homes.
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Sipkovski – a former handball player turned model – was on the run from house arrest at the time and already on trial for attempted murder.
Investigators say the explosive, pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), was allegedly intended for an assassination linked to organised crime and football hooligan groups, as reported by Need To Know.
At 6ft 1in, Sipkovski had played youth handball for RK Vardar before a neck injury ended his sporting career and pushed him into modelling.
By 19, he became the first North Macedonian model to sign with Daman modelling agency in Istanbul, Turkey.
He was also a student at the Faculty for Business and Economics, in Skopje, North Macedonia, where is was also on trail for attempted murder.
The explosion happened last Wednesday (1 Oct) at around 9:45pm in Belgrade, Serbia.
An anonymous source close to the investigation told local media: “It remains unclear how he became involved with mafia circles.
“As acquaintances say he was a model who had broken through and gained recognition on the Turkish market, making significant progress on the fashion scene.”
Prosecutors in Belgrade have questioned Filip V., 26, suspected of illegally obtaining and carrying the PETN on September 30, before handing it to Sipkovski later that day at a street corner.
Serbian investigators are continuing to probe Sipkovski’s ties to organised crime.
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