Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic confirmed on Friday that the man suspected of smuggling migrants near the village of Donji Srb on Croatia's border with Bosnia and Herzegovina late Wednesday night was arrested.

Bozinovic said that the man suspected of driving the van which the police stopped late on Wednesday  was arrested.

N1 learned the suspect is a foreign national.

On Wednesday, the police received a report of a van with Austrian licence plates, suspected of carrying people who crossed the border from Bosnia and Herzegovina into Croatia illegally in the Donji Lapac municipality near Donji Srb. After two unsuccessful attempts to stop the van, the police officers set up a barrier near the Rastela village and attempted to stop the vehicle with light and sound signals.

The driver refused to stop and continued driving towards them, and the officers fired multiple shots towards the van in self-defence, after which the driver jumped out of the van and ran off.

„According to latest information on the ground, the police apprehended the person suspected of committing these crimes. At this time I cannot say more, only that he was arrested in Croatia by the Croatian police,“ said Bozinovic to RTL broadcaster.

There were 29 foreign nationals from multiple countries in the van, including two children, aged 12, who were injured when the police opened fire on the van, and seven others who were injured from reckless driving.

Bozinovic added that the police officers could not know at the time theywere shooting at a van full of people, and that they acted according to procedure.

The Interior Ministry confirmed to N1 television that the 16 migrants (10 Iraqi nationals and six Afghan nationals) were placed in a transit centre in Zagreb.

One of the wounded children was released from hospital on Friday, and the other was transferred to the Children’s Hospital in Zagreb.