Montenegro police search for gunman after shooting rampage
1 January 2025, 21:44
The man opened fire in a bar and then fled the scene.
At least 10 people, including two children, have been killed and four others wounded in a shooting that followed a bar brawl in a western Montenegrin city.
Police identified the attacker as 45-year-old Aco Martinovic. He killed the owner of the bar in the city of Cetinje, the bar owner’s children and his own family members, said interior minister Danilo Saranovic at a news conference.
“At this moment, we are focused on arresting him,” said Mr Saranovic.
Police dispatched special troops to search for the attacker in Cetinje, located 18 miles north west of the capital, Podgorica.
A statement said the man fled the scene after opening fire at the bar.
President Jakov Milatovic said he was “shocked and stunned” by the tragedy. “Instead of holiday joy … we have been gripped by sadness over the loss of innocent lives,” Mr Milatovic said on the social media platform X.
Prime Minister Milojko Spajic went to the hospital where the wounded were being treated and announced three days of mourning.
“This is a terrible tragedy that has affected us all,” said Mr Spajic. “All police teams are out.”
Montenegro, which has a population of 620,000 people, is known for gun culture and many people traditionally have weapons.
Wednesday’s shooting was the second shooting rampage over the past three years in Cetinje, Montenegro’s historic capital. An attacker also killed 10 people, including two children, in August 2022 before he was shot and killed by a passer-by in Cetinje.
The RTCG report, which published Martinovic’s photo on its website, said he was known for erratic behaviour and had been detained in the past for illegal possession of weapons.
The report said he went home to get his gun and came back to the bar where he opened fire and killed and wounded several people. He then went to another site where he killed the bar owner’s children and a woman, the report added.
Police appealed on the residents to remain calm and stay indoors, ruling out a clash between criminal gangs.
