Armed man surrenders to police in front of govt. HQ

Armed man surrenders to police in front of govt. HQ

After "waving" the weapon and threatening to commit suicide, he surrendered to the police.

B92 has learned that the man is a retired member of the military.

A special police team negotiated with him, and after he surrendered, took him inside the government building. The police were out in force and the traffic in Nemanjina and Kneza Miloša streets was blocked this morning due to the incident. Defense Minister Bratislav Gašić explained that the man is a retired lieutenant colonel and a veteran, who caused the incident over unfulfilled promises of a 10 percent pension increase, made by the government in 2006.

Gašić now describes these announcements that never materialized as "empty election campaign promise, like so many other things have been."

He added that the government of the time first raised military pensions by ten percent, but then annulled this decision. The affected pensioners sued the state and the Ministry of Defense, and courts reached different rulings - awarding some the increase, but leaving others without it.

Gašić said that he and the minister of finance would discuss this issue with the man who caused the incident today and other dissatisfied military pensioners, adding that "the bill for some empty promises made by the former regime is now being delivered to us to pay."

He also said that by choosing this manner of protest, the man "only harmed himself, the state, and above all his family."

"He retired while relatively young, he was twice wounded in battle. The prime minister and I understand him, and on the orders of the prime minister I will soon meet with the finance minister, to invite those people to talks, to explain the situation that the state is in and to find a solution for those people, because it is not our goal to cause damage to anyone," said Gašić, and added that the retired officer "understood he made a mistake, and was sent to a medical examination." A special police team negotiated with him, and after he surrendered, took him inside the government building.

The police were out in force and the traffic in Nemanjina and Kneza Miloša streets was blocked this morning due to the incident.