Celje - A 66-year-old man killed two enforcement agent assistants near Šmarje pri Jelšah on Thursday evening after they had tried to seize his car. He got angry and shot a 27-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman with his handgun. The man was killed on the spot and the woman succumbing to her injuries in hospital.

The police were informed about the shooting in the village of Škofija by the suspect's partner, Milan Vogrinec of the Criminal Police Sector of the Celje Police Department told the press on Friday.

The two enforcement agent assistants visited the home of the shooter in order to impound his car based on a court order. This got him so angry that he went to his house to retrieve a handgun and then shoot them.

The 27-year-old man died on the spot, whereas the 42-year-old woman was taken to the Celje hospital with grave injuries, where she died late on Thursday.

The 66-year-old suspect has been arrested by the police, who have also found the handgun that the suspect threw away after the shooting.

The murder of the two enforcement agent assistants was strongly condemned by Justice Minister Marjan Dikaučič, who said he was deeply shaken by the news and that society must have zero tolerance for such acts of violence, regardless of the cause.

"This despicable act is an attack on the judicial system," as enforcement agent assistants act in specific procedures on the basis of authorisation awarded by court decisions, Dikaučič was quoted by the Justice Ministry.

The Chamber of Enforcement Agents said that the murders must be strongly condemned by the public as they were a direct attack on the judiciary and enforcement agents, who were indirect implementers of court decisions that they could not affect.

"Enforcement agents are constant targets of threats, including threats of physical force, and the state has not done anything in the last 20 years to provide us with greater security," said its president Franko Slavec.

He noted that the chamber did not have access to records on perpetrators of criminal acts or owners of firearms.