A man was wounded and an elderly suspect arrested following a shooting and fire at a pro-government camp outside Serbia’s parliament on Wednesday. The country’s president, Aleksandar Vučić, swiftly condemned the incident as a “terrorist attack.”
According to Vučić, the suspect—a Belgrade pensioner—opened fire and set a tent ablaze at the camp, which has long been occupied by the president’s supporters.
“The use of a firearm against my supporters leaves no doubt about the motive. In my political assessment, this was a horrific terrorist attack,” Vučić said during a press conference.
Officials confirmed that the injured man was undergoing surgery following the shooting.
During the conference, Vučić presented videos of the attack and a purported confession by the alleged perpetrator, showing a man in police custody claiming responsibility. However, police at the event declined to give further details on the ongoing investigation or whether formal charges had been filed.
Earlier footage posted online appeared to show armed officers confronting a man near a white tent, moments before flames erupted from its roof.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, leaving the charred remains of the tent visible behind police barricades, according to AFP reporters at the scene.
The makeshift camp, set up by Vučić’s loyalists, has blocked roads outside the parliament and a nearby park for several months as a demonstration of support for the president amid nearly a year of anti-government protests.
Vučić said he had anticipated an attack on his supporters and accused certain media outlets and opposition politicians of spreading hostility towards the government’s base. Still, he urged calm among his followers, saying:
“Revenge has never brought anyone any good.”
Serbia has been gripped by regular demonstrations since November 2024, when a railway station roof collapse in Novi Sad killed 16 people. The tragedy, which protesters say exposed deep-rooted corruption, has since fuelled widespread calls for transparency and early elections.
In a brief statement after the attack, a student-led protest group reaffirmed its commitment to non-violence, posting on social media:
“Our path has never been a path of violence,” accompanied by a heart emoji and a short video showing a student walking peacefully through a Serbian street.