A supporter of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was shot and wounded outside the parliament in the capital Belgrade on Wednesday.
The shooting took place at a tent that had been set up by Vucic supporters to keep out anti-government protesters – who have been demonstrating for almost a year.
Speaking to reporters, Vucic described the attack as an act of “terrorism” and blamed it on his political opponents.
In a video recorded by the attacker during his arrest, he said: “I did it so that they (police) would kill me. I didn’t know anyone in the tent. I’m from Belgrade, and this (tent) bothers me. I don’t like the occupation of the city centre.”
The 70-year-old male gunman – who had entered one of the tents carrying a can of gasoline, which he intended to use to burn down the structures – told authorities that he acted alone.
The Vucic supporter was shot after he discovered that the perpetrator was preparing an arson attack. A video from the scene showed an injured victim staggering and flames shooting towards a tent.
According to Serbia’s health minister, the victim was taken to a nearby hospital and immediately operated on.
Vucic, what did the opposition say about the shooting?
President Vucic said the incident reflected the danger of anti-government protests and blamed “some media and politicians” for the shootings.
“There is no doubt that there was political motivation behind all this,” he said. “It’s a miracle we haven’t had any casualties in the last 11 months.”
Vucic urged supporters to avoid retribution, saying, “Revenge never benefits anyone.”
Speaking to the Reuters news agency, Savo Manojlovic of the opposition Move Change party said, “The creation of an artificial camp with tents and landfill in the city center to incite further confrontation, hatred and division is the responsibility of the institutions that have allowed such abuses.”
“Our path has never been the path of violence,” one of the student groups leading the anti-government protests wrote on social media on Wednesday.
What are the anti-government protests in Serbia about?
Serbia has been the site of street protests targeting Vucic since last November, when 16 people were killed in the collapse of a newly renovated railway station in the city of Novi Sad, sparking mass protests against government corruption and neglect.
Protesters began with demands for a transparent investigation, but soon expanded their demands to push for early elections in the Balkan nation.
Edited by: Jennifer Cimino Gonzalez