The most recent shooting occurred after a 13-year-old opened fire at a primary school in Belgrade, killing eight children and a security officer.
According to state television, a gunman suspected of slaying eight people and injuring thirteen others in a drive-by shooting in Serbia has been apprehended.
Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) reported that the assailant used an automatic weapon to randomly fire at people near the town of Mladenovac, approximately 50 kilometers south of the capital Belgrade, on Thursday night.
The 21-year-old suspect identified only as U.B was apprehended by Serbian police following a manhunt labeled Operation Whirlwind, a broadcaster confirmed Friday morning.
The incident occurred less than 48 hours after a 13-year-old boy shot and killed nine people in a Belgrade school before surrendering.
After two deadly mass shootings this week, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic proposed an array of stringent measures to improve gun control and buttress school security in the Balkan nation.
The Serbian news portal Telegraph reported that the Serbian minister of the interior, Bratislav Gasic, characterized the most recent shooting as a “terrorist act” without providing further details.
Local media report that, following a late-night dispute in a schoolyard near Mladenovac, the suspect returned with an assault rifle, opened fire, and continued shooting at random from a moving vehicle.
No additional information was immediately forthcoming, and the police had not released any statements.
Approximately 600 Serbian police officers, including the elite Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (SAJ) and Gendarmerie, began a manhunt for the suspect.
A Reuters witness saw heavily armed police halt and search incoming vehicles near Dubona, near Mladenovac.
A helicopter, drones, and numerous police patrols also searched the hills and forests surrounding Dubona for the suspect.
Wednesday’s shooting at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school in Belgrade claimed the lives of eight students and a security guard.
According to the police, the 13-year-old had stolen two handguns from his father and plotted the attack for a month. They also added that the boy drew classroom diagrams and made inventories of the children he intended to murder.
Also hospitalized as a result of the shooting were six minors and a teacher. A girl shot in the head is critical and a kid with spinal damage is serious, doctors said Thursday morning.
The nation’s first school shooting prompted the government to declare stricter gun ownership regulations.
The president of Serbia announced a ban on new gun licenses, except those for hunting, as well as a review of existing licenses, as well as increased surveillance of shooting ranges and gun storage.
He added that the government would employ 1,200 additional police officers to increase school safety in the Balkan nation.
Police urged citizens to lock up and secure their firearms away from minors.
On Thursday, thousands of people congregated in the heart of Belgrade to lay flowers and light candles in remembrance of the victims of the Wednesday morning shooting.
Gun culture is prevalent in Serbia and throughout the Balkans. The region ranks among the highest in Europe for the number of firearms per person.
