Supporters of the opposition Democratic Party stormed and set fire to the office of Albania's Prime Minister yesterday in protest against the assassination of an opposition leader the night before.
Crying "Revenge!", a crowd of about 2,000 people first set fire to cars outside the Interior Ministry, whose walls were hit by bullets, before moving on to the nearby office of the Socialist Prime Minister, Mr Fatos Nano.
The Democratic Party blamed Mr Nano for the killing of its leader, Mr Azem Hajdani.
Black smoke billowed from 10 cars burning in the street outside the Prime Minister's office in a reminder of scenes from March last year when protests against the collapse of pyramid finance schemes turned violent and the country was on the brink of anarchy.
Protesters threw stones at the building yesterday before charging in to "avenge" the death of the opposition leader, who was shot dead with one of his bodyguards as he came out of his party office on Saturday night.
A reporter said she saw government cars leaving the premises from an opposite exit as protesters firing pistols and Kalashnikov assault rifles entered the building. Soon after, the ground floor was on fire and the crowd swept on through the streets of Tirana.
Mr Nano's spokesman, Mr Ben Blushi, asked later if Mr Nano was in his office, told Reuters: "Nano is here. It's normal now; he is working." Mr Blushi said offices had been destroyed and set on fire and bullets had been fired at the walls.
A Reuters television cameraman said he saw at least one protester with a chest wound. Sources close to the family confirmed later that Skender Kalenja (58) had died.
Unconfirmed reports said the commander of the national guard and a girl were wounded, but their lives were not in danger.
A government statement said the rioters had tried to reach a room where the government was in session.
"The government forcefully urges Democratic Party and its leadership to keep in check its armed people, to avoid confrontation with the police and wait for the results of investigation into the criminals who took the life of lawmaker Azem Hajdari," the statement said.
The government has denounced the killing and offered rewards for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators.
The former Albanian president, Mr Sali Berisha of the Democratic Party, blamed the assassination on Mr Nano, whose Socialists defeated the Democrats in elections held under international supervision last year. "The Democratic Party of Albania has all proof that this is a direct criminal act of the government," Mr Berisha told Reuters Television in English.
"Our ultimate demand is for the government to resign within 24 hours," Mr Berisha told a news conference.
Later in the day Tirana streets were mostly deserted, but occasional gunshots were heard.