Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has stated that explosives have been discovered near a main gas pipeline that supplies the country and extends towards Hungary.
According to Vučić, the Serbian police and army have found "explosives with destructive power" near this vital infrastructure, in an area near the town of Kanjiža, about 10 kilometers from the border with Hungary.
He said the explosives were found in two backpacks, several hundred meters from the Balkan Stream gas pipeline, and could have caused major damage to the gas supply of Serbia and Hungary, as well as endangering the lives of a large number of people.
He announced that he had informed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban about the initial results of the investigations regarding the threat to the pipeline connecting the two countries.
According to the Serbian president, fuses were also found near the explosives, while so far no damage has been reported.
"The Serbian military managed to prevent an action against the country's vital interests," Vučić said, warning that Serbia would react harshly to any threat to critical infrastructure.
Prime Minister Orban later confirmed the information, stressing that Serbian authorities had found explosives and the equipment necessary to activate them.
Vucic added that the investigation is ongoing and that Serbia's intelligence agencies are working to identify the group responsible, which was intended to send a political message. He warned that anyone caught would be severely punished.
Serbian authorities, including the police and army, are searching the area in the municipality of Kanjiža, about 15 kilometers from the border with Hungary. The search is being carried out by land and air, using helicopters, drones, sniffer dogs, thermal imaging equipment and counter-sabotage teams.
Since March 19, security has also been increased at the compressor station in Zhabar, part of the Balkan Stream pipeline, due to the tense situation in the Middle East and the need to protect the Russian gas pipeline that supplies Hungary.
The incident comes at a sensitive political moment, just a week before elections in Hungary, which will determine whether Orban will extend his rule further.