Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić condemned Wednesday’s shooting and arson attack outside the Parliament building in central Belgrade, in which one person was injured, and condemned what he called a “horrible terrorist attack.”
A 70-year-old man who fired a gun at one of the tents in an encampment across from parliament, shot one person and then set the tents on fire, was quickly detained, according to authorities.
The camp was set up by Vučić supporters in March in response to student-led protests that have gripped Serbia for almost a year.
Vučić said at a press conference in Belgrade on Wednesday that the perpetrator “used a firearm with the aim of causing public danger and was undoubtedly politically motivated.”
Vučić also showed video footage of the incident and of the alleged shooter confessing at the time of arrest that he wanted the police to kill him and that he was “upset by the tents” in Belgrade.
Footage showed the fire in a tent after a series of explosions that resembled gunshots. Several police officers around the camp drew their weapons and told people to take cover.
“It was a matter of time before this happened,” Vučić said. “There were countless calls for this (shooting),” he added.
Serbian Health Minister Zlatibor Lončar said one person suffered serious injuries after being shot by a “man who thinks differently,” but did not elaborate on this statement.
The suspect faces charges of attempted murder, causing public endangerment and illegal weapons possession, police said.
The incident comes ahead of the Nov. 1 demonstration marking the first anniversary of the deadly collapse of a concrete awning at a train station in the northern regional capital, Novi Sad, which killed 16 people and sparked massive student-led anti-corruption protests across the country.