Suspect arrested in Serbia’s 2nd mass shooting in 2 days

Serbian police on Friday arrested a gunman suspected of killing eight people and wounding 14 others in a village near Belgrade, sparking panic in a country that has just begun three days of mourning for the victims of Wednesday’s school shooting.

The latest incident happened on Thursday in the village of Dubona, 42 kilometers south of Belgrade, authorities said.

In a statement, police said the man, identified by the initials UB, was arrested near the central Serbian town of Kragujevac, about 100 kilometers south of Belgrade.

On Wednesday, a 13-year-old boy shot dead nine and wounded seven at a school in Belgrade before entering.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic proposed on Friday a series of tough measures to improve gun control and increase security in schools in the Balkan country after a series of deadly incidents.

Vucic recommended a moratorium on gun permits regardless of the type of weapon, Serbia’s “practical disarmament” and more frequent medical and psychological examinations for gun owners, adding that the government would hire 1,200 new police officers to increase security in the country’s schools.

He described the overnight mass shooting as a “terrorist attack” and “an attack on all of us.”

Massive hunting

According to local media, the suspect in the latest mass shooting was involved in an altercation on the school grounds late Thursday and left, only to return with an assault rifle and a handgun. He opened fire and continued to shoot people at random from a moving car.

State broadcaster RTS reported an off-duty policeman and his sister were among the dead.

About 600 Serbian police, including the Special Anti-terrorist Unit (SAJ) and the elite Gendarmerie are involved in the hunt, called Operation Whirlwind, RTS reports.

In the village of Dubona, Reuters witnesses saw heavily armed police setting up checkpoints and searching incoming traffic. Armored police SUVs and black vans surrounded the area.

“This is terrible for our country, this is a great defeat. In two days, many … died,” said Ivan, a resident of Dubona.

The injured have been transported to several local hospitals, RTS reported. It also said that the Ministry of Health is calling on people to donate blood for the injured.

Police used helicopters, drones and several police patrols to hunt down the suspect.

The suspected shooter in Wednesday’s violence at Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School took two of his father’s pistols to kill eight students and a security guard in a hallway and history classroom.

Hundreds of schoolchildren wearing candles and flowers gathered for a vigil on Thursday evening in the streets surrounding the school, while churches planned memorial prayers.

Strict gun control

Dozens of high school teachers rallied in front of the Ministry of Education in the city of Belgrade on Thursday, demanding improvements to school security and the education system.

Serbia has a gun culture, especially in the countryside, but also strict gun control laws. Automatic weapons are illegal and over the years authorities have offered some amnesty to those who surrender.

After the school shooting in Belgrade, the Serbian government introduced a two-year ban on issuing new gun permits, revising existing permits and checking how gun owners keep their hands.

Still, the country, and the rest of the Western Balkans, is flooded with military-grade weapons and armaments that remain in private hands after the war in the 1990s.