Two deadly shootings in two days have shaken Serbia, a country still grappling with the legacy of civil war and the glorification of war criminals.

The back-to-back attacks, which left 19 people dead and 21 injured, have prompted soul-searching in a nation awash with weapons from the conflicts of the 1990s.

The last mass shooting in Serbia before this week was in 2013, the Associated Press reported.

In a nationwide TV address, President Aleksandar Vucic described the shootings as an attack on the whole nation. A suspect has been arrested in connection with the second shooting, but the motive remains unclear.

The killings occurred one day after a 13-year-old boy used his father’s firearms to murder eight fellow students and a guard at a school in Belgrade, the capital city.

On Friday, public figures, politicians, and experts took turns appearing on TV in a desperate attempt to make sense of the tragedies.

Written by staff