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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Three arrested for crashing car into Serb president’s motorcade

In this photo taken Tuesday, June 20, 2017, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic reviews the honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at the army barracks in Pancevo, some 10 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia. (Darko Vojinovic / Associated Press)
Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia – Three people were arrested after their car crashed into the Serbian president’s motorcade, officials and media said Sunday.

President Aleksandar Vucic wasn’t injured in the crash, which happened Saturday morning in an area of Belgrade where he lives, the pro-government Politika daily reported Sunday.

The Serbian interior minister confirmed the accident, but said the crash initially did not appear as an attack against Vucic.

“Of course, we will investigate all the details,” Nebojsa Stefanovic told state Tanjug news agency.

Serbian media reports say a Bentley with Spanish license plates rammed into the car used by Vucic, and three Serbs in the Bentley are suspected of jeopardizing the president’s security. Media said the three suspects are known to police for former offenses.

The Blic daily said the car belonged to former national football team player Ivica Dragutinovic who used to play in Spain, but that he wasn’t in the luxurious vehicle during the crash.

Media close to Vucic have been claiming that unidentified enemies have been plotting to kill him because of his policy of balancing between the West and Russia. Vucic’s political opponents say it’s propaganda to portray Vucic as a victim and to turn attention away from Serbia’s economic and social problems.

Vucic is a former ultra-nationalist who now says he’s a pro-European Union reformer.