SARAJEVO: Three employees were shot dead on Wednesday morning at a high school in Sanski Most, northwest Bosnia, by a co-worker who then tried to kill himself, police said. The assailant used a military-style automatic rifle in the attack before attempting to take his own life, according to local police.
The incident occurred around 10:00 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) during a staff meeting held to prepare for the upcoming school year. Fortunately, no students were present at the time of the shooting. The victims included the school principal, a secretary, and an English teacher.
Adnan Beganovic, a police spokesperson, confirmed the details of the attack to national radio, stating, “This man used a military firearm, an automatic rifle, to kill three school employees and tried to kill himself.” The assailant, whose name has not been released, sustained serious injuries and has been transported to a hospital in Banja Luka for treatment.
The motive behind the shooting remains unclear. Local media reports suggest that the attacker was a gatekeeper who had been facing disciplinary proceedings, but police have not yet confirmed this information.
This tragic event adds to a troubling pattern of violence in the Balkans, where recent years have seen a spate of high-profile mass shootings. In 2023, Serbia was rocked by back-to-back attacks that left 19 people dead in less than 48 hours, including 10 victims at an elementary school in Belgrade.
The incidents led to mass demonstrations and calls for significant changes, including the resignation of government officials and a crackdown on the media’s glorification of violence and gangster culture.
In neighboring Croatia, a similar tragedy occurred in July when a gunman killed five residents and one employee at a nursing home, marking one of the worst shootings in the country since its independence in 1991.
The prevalence of firearms in the region has contributed to the severity of such incidents. Serbia, in particular, has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world, with an estimated 39 firearms per 100 civilians, according to the Small Arms Survey.
