Knife-wielding attacker shot dead outside Israeli embassy in Serbia

In a shocking incident, a minor armed with a knife assaulted a security guard near the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade shortly after midnight. (Pic Credit: Reuters)

A knife-wielding assailant was shot dead after attacking a security guard outside the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade shortly after midnight on Wednesday, Serbian police said.Serbian interior minister Ivica Dacic said authorities were investigating the incident as a “terrorist attack”.

The government raised the terror threat level to its highest category and increased security at key locations across the country, according to the news agency AP.According to Dacic, the attacker was a minor and was carrying two knives. He allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar”, meaning “God is great” in Arabic, while attacking a member of Serbia’s Gendarmerie guarding the embassy.The officer sustained a minor facial injury but managed to shoot and kill the assailant in self-defence, the minister said.Photographs released by police showed the security booth outside the embassy, with the surrounding area cordoned off using police tape. Armed officers in tactical gear were seen at the scene.Dacic said the attacker was believed to have come from Sabac, a town in western Serbia. He added that security agencies had been monitoring the individual, whom he described as a supporter of the Islamic State group.“He kept the black flag in support of the Islamic State on his Instagram account,” Dacic said.

Attack follows political upheaval in Serbia and Israel

The incident occurred days after Serbia held an early parliamentary election on Sunday, following nearly two years of protests against former president Aleksandar Vucic and his long-standing political leadership. A youth-led movement emerged as a major force in the election, although Vucic and his allies continue to control the police while the formation of a new government remains pending.Israel also held a parliamentary election on Tuesday, with exit polls indicating that no clear winner had emerged.The latest incident follows a similar attack outside the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade in June 2024. At the time, an assailant armed with a crossbow wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the diplomatic mission before being shot dead by a guard.