BELGRADE, Serbia (AFP) — A 470-kilogram World War II aerial bomb was safely removed on Sunday from a construction site in a central district of Serbia's capital, Belgrade, police said.

The United States-made AN-M44 bomb was used during Allied air raids on German positions during the liberation of Belgrade from Nazi occupation in 1944.

Ahead of the bomb's removal, the site, which is near a residential area and a shopping mall, underwent detailed reconnaissance “to ensure safe conditions,” police said.

Residents were also told to remove vehicles and leave their homes if possible.

The bomb was transported to an army arms training ground 180 kilometers from Belgrade, where it will be destroyed in the coming days.

Several unexploded bombs dating back to past wars have been discovered in Serbia in recent years, all of which were safely removed without detonating.

In September 2024, a century-old artillery shell weighing nearly 300 kilograms was cleared from a construction site near the Serbian parliament in Belgrade.

Earlier that year, in April, a large bomb from the 1999 NATO bombing campaign was found in Nis, southern Serbia.

In 2021, a 242-kilogram World War II bomb was also removed from a construction site in a Belgrade suburb.