One man was seriously injured in gunfire near a tent set up by supporters of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic outside the parliament building in Belgrade on Wednesday.
One person was taken into custody and police secured the scene, officials and local media said. Vučić said he had to leave the government event early because of the “terrorist act that took place in front of the Serbian parliament building” during which he was speaking.
Massive street protests against Vučić have been going on for a year, sparked by the collapse of a train station awning in Novi Sad last November, killing 16 people and many blaming government neglect and corruption.
The shooting occurred in a park between the parliament building and Vucic’s office, where his supporters have erected tents to prevent protesters from approaching the building. There were no protests going on at the time.
One video posted online showed armed guards approaching one of the tents as a man limped away from the scene. A fire broke out inside the tent after several shots were fired, according to a video posted on NOVA media and confirmed by Reuters.
It is unclear who fired the shot or started the fire, but it was quickly extinguished.
Telegraf.rs, citing sources, said a 70-year-old man shot a 57-year-old man in the leg and then a gas canister inside the tent camp.
Health Minister Zlatibor Lonkar told reporters the man was seriously injured and needed urgent surgery.
Another video posted on X and seen by Reuters showed a man lying on the ground with his hands behind his back, surrounded by police officers.
A Reuters reporter saw fire engines and police surrounding the scene. Local police declined to comment, but one officer at the scene said there was “no longer any danger”.
