Police, residents confirm shootout in Serbian border town

N1

The police and local residents confirmed reports of shots fired by migrants in the Horgos area of northern Serbia on the border with Hungary.

The Szabad Magiar Szo portal reported that two groups of migrants exchanged automatic weapons fire in the town of Horgos in the early evening hours of Thursday. It said that heavy police forces were deploying in the town.

Police deployed from the nearby cities of Subotica and Kikinda along with Gendarmerie troops, searching the area. Six migrants were arrested including a 20 year old who had gunshots wounds, the Internal Affairs Ministry (MUP) said in a press release. It said the police and Gendarmerie arrested a number of people suspected of involvement in the shooting and in the smuggling of migrants.

A local resident told N1 that the first shots were fired at around 6:00 pm. “Everyone is scared, this has been happening since 2015 and we have been living in fear for 7 years,” Horgos resident Olga Stojanovic said. According to her, the shots were fired in several streets before the Gendarmerie arrived.

Following the exchange of fire between two groups of migrants on Thursday evening in the town of Horgos, the police detained over 600 migrants, who will most probably be transported to refugee centers in southern Serbia, Tanjug reported, adding that police raids are also under way in Belgrade.

Stojanovic said that incidents involving migrants are frequent because of what she said is the gateway allegedly used by Hungarian security forces to push illegal migrants back into Serbia.

Media reports said that more than 600 illegal migrants were arrested in the Horgos and Subotica areas, adding that a police operation was also underway in Belgrade.