BELGRADE, Serbia—Security authorities in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, announced Wednesday the arrest of the suspect in a shooting incident outside the Serbian parliament building that seriously injured one person, minutes after the incident.
Local reports, according to the Kurir newspaper, indicated that the incident coincided with the outbreak of fires in a number of tents that were set up in front of the parliament building.
Protesters have been holding a sit-in for weeks demanding political reforms and investigations into corruption and government negligence.
Al Arabiya quoted security sources as saying that police forces had completely surrounded the area.
Investigations have begun to determine the motives of the attacker.
Authorities have not yet announced details of his identity or whether the incident was politically motivated.
For his part, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic described the shooting incident as a “terrorist act targeting the stability of the state.”
Stressing in televised statements that the security services “will not tolerate those who seek to spread chaos or threaten national security.”
Protests have been ongoing for a year
This incident comes amid escalating political and security tensions that Serbia has been witnessing for about a year.
As popular protests against the Vucic government continue,
Which erupted after the collapse of the roof of a train station in the city of Novi Sad last November,
Resulting in the deaths of 16 people, in an incident that many Serbs blamed on “corruption and administrative negligence.”
Observers say today’s incident may deepen the internal crisis.
Especially in light of the opposition’s accusations that the government is using excessive force against demonstrators,
And trying to portray the protests as acts of sabotage.
Calls are growing within political circles in Belgrade for a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of the attack.
Amid warnings that escalating political violence could return the country to the unstable conditions of the 1990s.
