“130 police officers are taking part in the operation,” Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said shortly before the bombs were dropped. Police had earlier ordered residents in the area to remove their vehicles from the operation area, and also urged them to leave their homes if possible.
The grenade was found on September 18 during construction work in an underground garage near the Serbian Parliament, in downtown Belgrade. According to Ivica Dacic, it was an artillery piece used by the Austro-Hungarian army during the siege of Belgrade. “It weighs 287 kilograms, is 113 centimeters long and has a diameter of 30.5 centimeters,” he said.
Several bombs have been found
Belgrade was one of the first major cities to be targeted by a major power during World War I. Austria-Hungary bombed the city on July 29, 1914, the day after declaring war on Serbia.
