After an extensive manhunt lasting several weeks, Alija Balijagic, who is accused of the double homicide of a brother and sister near Bijelo Polje in Montenegro, was captured on Thursday close to Priboj in Serbia, as announced by the Serbian Interior Ministry.

Balijagic is believed to have murdered Jovan and Milenka Madzgalj on October 25 in Sokolac, located near Bijelo Polje, approximately 120 kilometers from Montenegro’s capital, Podgorica.

According to Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, officers from the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit arrested Balijagic around 3 am on Thursday at a residence in the village of Pribojska Golesa, which they knew he occasionally visited.

“He was found asleep and did not resist arrest. He was in possession of two rifles: a hunting rifle, a boxer, and a hunting carbine adapted from a military rifle,” Dacic stated.

Serbian police confirmed that he would be transported to the police facility in Prijepolje, situated near the Montenegrin border.

The crime shocked the public in Montenegro, especially when it became known that the suspect is a repeat offender with a history of 32 years in prison for various crimes, including robbery, violent conduct, and rape, according to media reports.

Both the Montenegrin police and army had been searching for Balijagic since October 25 without success. An Interpol warrant had been issued for his arrest. Reports indicate that Balijagic managed to traverse from one country to another through rugged mountainous terrain.

Montenegro’s Minister of Interior, Danilo Saranovic, revealed on Wednesday that Balijagic had been spending more time in Serbia than Montenegro since the incident.

In response to the weeks-long failure to apprehend him, Saranovic highlighted the impact of staffing shortages in the Police Directorate.

“Given the current state of personnel and the material resources available to the police, which have never been more inadequate, we had no alternative but to deploy all resources available to search 600 square kilometers of challenging mountainous area,” Saranovic informed the parliament’s Security Committee.

Frustrated residents of the Vraneska Valley, where the double homicide occurred, blocked traffic for two hours on Monday, calling for the resignation of senior police officials.