Protesters break into U.S. embassy in Serbia

MSNBC News Services


BELGRADE, Serbia - Protesters broke into the U.S. embassy in Belgrade on Thursday and set fires, cheered on by crowds outside rallying against U.S. support for Kosovo's independence.

Doors were ripped off, set on fire and wedged in the embassy windows. Black smoke billowed from the building.

Papers and chairs were thrown out of the windows.

One protester climbed up to the first floor, ripped the U.S. flag off its pole and briefly put up a Serbian flag in its place.

Some protesters jumped up and down on the embassy balcony, holding up a Serbian flag as the crowd below of about 1,000 people cheered them on, shouting "Serbia, Serbia".

Police had not been protecting the building, but riot police intervened, firing tear gas and driving a number of armored jeeps down the street to clear the crowd.

The storming of the building came during a state-backed rally to protest at Kosovo's secession on Sunday attended by some 200,000 people, which was otherwise peaceful.

The rioters were mainly young men, some of whom wore balaclavas and scarves to hide their faces. They had attacked the building with sticks and metal bars and destroyed two guard boxes outside.

Protesters ripped some metal grilles from the embassy windows and also tore a handrail off the building's entrance and used it as a battering ram against the main door......