Eight killed in massacre in Serbia: 21-year-old arrested after escape

A man in Serbia shot a group of people with a rapid-fire weapon, killing eight of them. 13 other people were injured in the incident on Thursday evening in the village of Dubona, 50 kilometers southeast of Belgrade, the state news agency Tanjug reported, citing police.

The suspected shooter then fled. The police launched a large-scale manhunt and found his whereabouts. A large number of police forces surrounded the 21-year-old man, it was said.

Meanwhile, according to Serbian media reports, the alleged perpetrator has been arrested in the city of Kragujevac. According to “Blic”, the man was staying with his uncle. Further details about the arrest are not yet known.

The attacked people sat unsuspectingly on a bench in the center of the village, according to the website of the daily newspaper “Blic”. According to this report, the perpetrator shot her from a vehicle.

Motive not yet known

Initially, nothing was known about the motive for the bloody deed. According to unconfirmed media reports, a police officer and his sister are among the victims. Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic went to the scene of the events on Friday evening. He described the act as a “terrorist act”. At first he did not go into detail.

Serbia was rocked on Wednesday by a massacre at a school in Belgrade. A 13-year-old student had shot eight classmates and a security guard. The police then took him into custody. Due to his age, the perpetrator is not yet of age in Serbia. (sda/dpa)