Belgrade shooting: Teen made ‘kill list’ for Serbia school attack
A 13-year-old boy in Serbia killed eight fellow students and a security guard in a shooting at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school in Belgrade. The attacker, who had planned the attack for weeks, used his father’s guns, both of which had legal permits, and carried a “priority list” of children to target and which classrooms he would go into first. The motive for the attack is still unclear. Six pupils and a teacher were also injured in the shooting, with the most severe injuries sustained by a boy shot in the neck and chest. The suspect’s parents were also arrested.
The attack prompted Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to propose several reforms, including an audit of firearms licences and a tightening of rules around access to shooting ranges. Vucic also suggested lowering the age of criminal liability to 12, as the current law states that the suspect, who is under 14, cannot be held criminally responsible. The suspect will be sent to a psychiatric clinic.
Serbia has very strict gun laws, but gun ownership in the country is among the highest in Europe. The western Balkans have seen a proliferation of illegal weapons since the wars and unrest in the 1990s. In 2019, it was estimated that there were 39.1 firearms per 100 people in Serbia, the third-highest rate in the world, behind the US and Montenegro.