Serbian police arrested six migrants in action after a shootout between in Horgoš, where three migrants were killed and one injured. Four Afghan citizens and two Turkish citizens were arrested, suspected of illegal production, possession, carrying, and trafficking of weapons and explosive materials.
The suspects were found in an abandoned building where the shooting took place. An automatic rifle with dozens of rounds of ammunition was also found. Another 79 migrants were transported to reception centres. The injured migrant was given medical assistance in the morning and intensive work continues to shed light on the facts and circumstances of the event.
Serbia is on the „Balkan migrant route,” with over 70,000 people passing through the country since the beginning of the year. The border zone between Serbia and Hungary has recently been a frequent place of conflict between smuggling groups. The executive director of the non-governmental Center for Assistance to Migrants and Asylum Seekers warns that the problems with smuggling groups in the north of Serbia have become chronic. He emphasises the importance of highlighting the difference between migrants who engage in smuggling and ordinary people who have fled their countries and are often victims.
Despite Hungary installing a 150-kilometre-long wire fence along the entire border with Serbia to prevent illegal entry, migrants and refugees continue trying to enter EU from the Serbia, with up to 600 people a day forcibly returned back over the fence. In the last week alone, over 4,500 migrants have been returned without any legal procedure. Radoš Đurović believes that such a concept of the fight against migration is counterproductive and results in an increase in smuggling.
