Preparations for a showdown appeared to be taking shape, with gangs apparently supporting President Sali Berisha taking guns from a vacated military academy in Tirana, the capital. Police did nothing as the men calmly walked out with AK-47 automatic rifles slung over their shoulders.
Hours later, state television reported that a group of people had stormed the Yzberisht barracks in a Tirana suburb last night and seized weapons. It was unclear whether they were supporters of Berisha.
The unrest came as Bashkim Fino, a 35-year-old Socialist from the southern town of Gjirokastra, was getting a first look at the difficulties facing him as prime minister. He acknowledged it was impossible to force rebels to put down their looted weapons.
Looters stormed an arms depot near the industrial city of Elbasan, 22 miles southeast of Tirana, and carted away automatic weapons - adding to the cache of guns and munitions seized by mobs the past two weeks.
These are the statistics in a delayed effort to clear Bosnia of the land mines left behind by its Muslim, Serb and Croat armies.
No one knows for sure how many mines remain buried. The estimates run from 1 million to 3 million.