Blast In Southern Montenegro Claims Two Lives, Injures Three

No fewer than two people were killed and three injured in a blast on Thursday in Montenegro’s southern city of Cetinje, police said, in the latest outburst of organised crime-linked violence.

The explosion occurred shortly after 9:00 am local time (0700 GMT) near a sports facility, shattering the glass of the complex and uprooting a nearby tree, according to footage broadcast on local television.

The director of Montenegro’s police force Aleksandar Radovic later confirmed the explosion killed “members of an organised criminal group”.

Montenegrin media earlier reported that the victims were members of the “Skaljari” outfit — one of the criminal clans from the coastal town of Kotor along the Adriatic.

“This day must never happen again,” Radovic told reporters, saying innocent bystanders were also injured by the blast.

“This is a red line. Montenegro cannot afford a single accidental victim,” he added.

Cetinje is the site of the former royal capital and sits in a mountainous valley that has largely stagnated economically.

The area and its surroundings are strongholds of organised criminal groups, and clashes erupt sporadically between rival mafia clans.

Organised crime and corruption have persistently plagued Montenegro, which has pledged to tackle these scourges under pressure from the European Union.

Violent incidents remain relatively rare in the tiny Adriatic nation, whose picturesque beaches and mountains are a magnet for tourists.

Last year, a man set off an explosive device at a court building in the capital, Podgorica, killing himself and injuring five other people.

Two years ago, a gunman went on the rampage in Cetinje, killing 10 people.

AFP