Second mass shooting in Serbia in a week

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Late Thursday, a man started fire near the Serbian town of Mladenovac, around 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of the capital, Belgrade. Officials told journalists that at least eight individuals were murdered and 13 were injured. After an eight-hour manhunt, the suspect, identified as Uros B., 21, was apprehended.

The tragedy, according to sources, began with a quarrel in the schoolyard, following which Uros B. walked home and returned with an automatic weapon. He was said to have shot from a moving vehicle before fleeing. According to reports, he opened fire in three distinct areas.

Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic described the shootings as terrorist acts. Numerous police and counter-terrorism units were deployed to the area.

On Friday morning, local media reported that the shooter was apprehended in a village near Kragujevac, around 50 kilometres north of where the shooting spree began.

A seventh-grade student opened fire at a Belgrade school earlier this week, killing eight youngsters and a security officer. The gunfire injured one instructor and six students. The adolescent was arrested. He allegedly used his father’s gun, according to authorities.

Following the attack, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic called for unprecedented restrictions on firearms and violent media content. He proposed a two-year embargo on new weapon licences, which would apply to all guns save those used for hunting. Vucic also asked that all existing guns permits be audited.