Serbia: Police arrest man suspected of killing two in satanic ritual

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - A man was arrested Saturday after saying he killed a 5-year-old boy and his uncle and dismembered them in a satanic ritual, Serbian police said.

The suspect, identified as Danijel J., 27, cut off the victims heads, arms and legs on Monday in Novi Banovci, a village just north of Belgrade, before he dumped their bodies into the Danube River, police said.

The dismembered bodies of the boy and his 26-year-old uncle were discovered by fishermen on Friday, police said. They said a search of Danijel's flat in the village showed he possessed «satanic literature» which showed he belonged to an unidentified religious sect.

Belgrade's B-92 TV said Danijel J. used axes and knives to cut the victims. It said he did not state the motive for the murders which have spread panic among the local population.

Serbia's Interior Minister Dragan Jocic said ritual killings are on the rise in Serbia.