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Shots fired outside the Serbian parliament in a ‘terrorist act’, one detained
Serbian President Aleksander Vucic, who has been facing anti-government protests, called the shooting “a terrorist act”.
Shots were fired outside Serbia's parliament building in Belgrade on Wednesday, and one person was injured.
Serbian President Aleksander Vucic, who has been facing anti-government protests, called the shooting “a terrorist act”.
According to a video posted on NOVA TV news channel, armed security officers approached a large tent outside parliament. A few shots were fired, and then a fire broke out inside the tent, one of several erected this year by supporters of President Aleksander Vucic during anti-government protests.
AFP reported that firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, and the charred remains of the tent were visible from a police blockade near the scene.
A 70-year-old man shot a 57-year-old man in the leg and then shot a gas canister in the tent camp, Telegraf.rs reported, citing sources. According to the state broadcaster RTS, one person was arrested and another person was taken to an emergency medical centre.
Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar told reporters that a man had a serious wound and would have to be operated on urgently.
Local police are yet to issue a statement on the matter and have not confirmed any details.
Another video posted on X showed a man lying on the ground with his hands behind his back and surrounded by police officers.
The camps outside the Serbian parliament
The improvised encampment of Aleksander Vucic's loyalists has been blocking roads outside the Serbian parliament and a nearby park for months in a show of support for the embattled president, who has faced almost a year of protests against his government.
Almost daily protests have gripped Serbia since November last year after a railway station roof collapse killed 16 people.
The tragedy at the newly renovated station in Serbia's second-largest city, Novi Sad, became a symbol of entrenched corruption.
Protesters first demanded a transparent investigation, but their calls soon escalated into demands for early elections.
