An assailant opened fire on police officers in the Serbian border town of Loznica, resulting in the death of one officer and the injury of another. The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday when a patrol stopped a car with two individuals inside. One of the occupants stepped out of the vehicle and began shooting at the officers, hitting one in the chest and the other in the shoulder.
The wounded officers were promptly transported to a local hospital, where one of them tragically succumbed to their injuries. Authorities have initiated a search for the assailant utilizing drones and helicopters. While the identity of the suspect remains unknown, a passport issued in Kosovo and a German identification card were discovered at the scene.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic suggested that the attack may be linked to terrorism, potentially involving individuals from Kosovo, a region that declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The strained relations between Serbia and Kosovo, stemming from a conflict in the late 1990s, continue to fuel tensions in the region.
Despite the lack of concrete evidence, Dacic characterized the incident as an organized terrorist attack by ethnic Albanians from Kosovo with specific objectives. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Albin Kurti of Kosovo cautioned against politicizing the shooting, emphasizing the importance of handling the matter professionally and legally.
Reports indicate that the suspected shooter may have used his brother's passport, complicating efforts to identify the perpetrator. The area near the border with Bosnia, where the shooting took place, is notorious for being a smuggling route utilized by migrants seeking to enter Western Europe through the Balkans.
In a separate incident in late June, a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade was wounded by an attacker wielding a crossbow. The ongoing investigations into both cases underscore the challenges faced by law enforcement in maintaining security along Serbia's borders.
