Montenegro: Ten people killed in shooting, attacker commits suicide

 Thursday, January 2, 2025

Islamabad (UrduPoint News Today/ Pakistan Point News - DW Urdu - 02 January 2025) The incident is one of the worst mass killings in Montenegro. Authorities said at least 10 people, including two children, were killed in a mass shooting that began at a restaurant in the Montenegrin town of Astenje and continued at three different locations.

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According to authorities, the suspected gunman shot himself in the head after being surrounded by police.

Police identified him as 45-year-old local resident Aleksandar Martynovic. He died of his wounds on Thursday morning after turning the gun on himself and being taken to hospital.

“Police surrounded the suspect near his home in Cetinje,” Montenegro’s police chief, Lazar Cepanovic, told reporters.

When police ordered him to surrender, he shot himself in the head.

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“Attempts were made to take him to a medical center, but he succumbed to his injuries,” he said.

Montenegrin Prime Minister’s Response

Confirming in a post on social media that the suspected gunman had died, Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said the mass killing had “covered our country in black.”

“This inhuman act has created immense sadness and bitterness in each of us. There are no words of consolation,” he said.

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The prime minister said Montenegro's National Security Council would consider "all options" after the attack, including a complete ban on weapons.

He added that the country would observe three days of national mourning.

Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic told reporters that the two minors killed in the attacks that began on Wednesday night were the children of the owner of the restaurant where the shooting began. He said the hotel owner was also killed. According to police, the children were aged 10 and 13.

The interior minister said the attacker "killed members of his own family". He added that the suspect was believed to have been drinking heavily before the rampage.

Four people who were seriously injured in the attack were said to be fighting for their lives in a hospital.

Two major problems facing Montenegro

The suspect, who according to media reports had a history of illegal weapons possession, had a suspended sentence for violent behavior in 2005.

This was the second shooting in the Montenegrin town of Cetinje in the past three years. According to the Associated Press, an attacker killed 10 people, including two children, in August 2022. He was later shot dead by a passerby.

Montenegro, with a population of only about 620,000, is known for its gun culture and many people traditionally own weapons.

Organized crime and corruption are two major problems that Montenegro has been grappling with, which authorities have pledged to address under pressure from the European Union. Montenegro is seeking to join the European Union.