On Wednesday, a 14-year-old student opened fire on students and security personnel at a Belgrade school, killing a teacher and a security guard and injuring at least five children before being arrested.

The tragic incident took place at 8:40 am (local time – 9:40 am in Greece) at the primary school “Vladislav Rybnikar” in the Vratsar district, in the center of Belgrade. According to information provided by the Serbian state news agency Tanjug, at least five victims have been admitted to a local hospital for treatment.

According to the agency, the dead are a school security guard who died instantly and a teacher who died from his injuries in hospital.

However, unconfirmed information in the Serbian media speaks of an even more tragic account.

Hospital sources said one of the children was in danger and was taken to the hospital with a head injury. Two more children have gunshot wounds and are in intensive care. Two more children – a boy and a girl – were taken to the emergency room.

According to the Belgrade police, the 14-year-old was immediately arrested, but after several shots, probably from his father’s pistol.

The motive of the teenager’s armed attack remains unknown at the moment.

A Serbian Interior Ministry source told Belgrade’s B92 network that the incident took place in a classroom when the attacker suddenly took out a pistol he had brought with him and started firing randomly, starting at the teacher.

“I saw children running out of school screaming. Parents came, they were in a panic. Later, I heard three shots,” a girl who studies at a secondary school near the Vladislav Rybnikar Primary School told the RTS state channel.

Prva TV reports that the 14-year-old also had explosives in his backpack.

Source: Reuters, Tanjug, B92.