Serbian MPs Grill Vucic Over Claims of Arrests

Serbian MPs on Thursday asked Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to clarify how many people were arrested in a police and security service action for planning illegal acts in Montenegro, where the authorities claim they prevented a coup on October 16.

"I cannot talk about the names of the people that are under legal procedure. You got answers to your questions and it is another thing that you do not like them," said Vucic.

The leader of the New Party, Zoran Zivkovic, who had asked Vucic to say how many people had been arrested, protested during the session.

Zivkovic, alongside other opposition members of parliament, called the situation about the alleged arrests of "spies" in Serbia a "spectacle of the government".

On Monday, Vucic said Serbia had arrested several people for planning illegal activities in Montenegro - but insisted that the Serbian state had nothing to do with these acts, mentioning connections to a third, unnamed country.

The Serbian daily Danas meanwhile reported on Thursday that Serbia had expelled several Russians for alleged involvement in illegal activities in Montenegro.

The head of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, visited Belgrade on Wednesday amid continued speculation about Russian intrigues in Montenegro - and following alleged leaks from the Serbian police to a foreign intelligence service.

While Patrushev called for greater cooperation between the security agencies of the two countries, it is still not clear what the reason of his visit to Belgrade was.