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Serbian man confesses to killing eight in shooting rampage, prosecutors say
CGTN
People queue to sign the book of condolences outside the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school in the capital Belgrade, May 5, 2023. /CFP
People queue to sign the book of condolences outside the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school in the capital Belgrade, May 5, 2023. /CFP

People queue to sign the book of condolences outside the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school in the capital Belgrade, May 5, 2023. /CFP

A 20-year-old Serbian man suspected of killing eight people and wounding 12 others has confessed to the crime, the prosecutors' office in the town of Smederevo near Belgrade said in a statement on Saturday.

Serbia is in shock and mourning after two mass shootings: a school massacre in the capital on Wednesday in which nine people were killed, and the rampage outside the city on Thursday to which the 20-year-old has confessed. The suspects are in custody in connection with both cases.

The prosecutors said in a statement that a man identified only as U.B. has admitted shooting at numerous people in three different locations near the town of Mladenovac on Thursday with an automatic rifle to "intimidate the population in those places."

U.B. is suspected of committing several crimes including aggravated murder, illegal production, possession, carrying and trafficking of weapons and explosive materials, and of kidnapping, said the prosecutors in Smederevo, the municipality where some of the shooting occurred.

No lawyer for the suspect has been named.

Following the shooting rampage, U.B. got in a taxi and forced the driver to take him to the town of Kragujevac where he was arrested on Friday morning.

"When you hear that it happens in Russia or America you do not feel comfortable, not to mention (when something happens) here where you know them all," said Jovica Markovic from the village of Malo Orasje, where the funeral of pupils killed in the school shooting was held. .

Following the shootings, the government introduced a set of measures aimed at preventing violence in schools and reducing the number of weapons held by civilians.

Despite strong gun controls, Serbia and the rest of the Western Balkans are awash with military-grade weapons and ordnance that stayed in private hands after the 1990s wars that tore apart the former Yugoslavia.

Serbia is holding three days of mourning, with flags at half mast and no entertainment programs on television.

(With input from Reuters)

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