A young suspect was fatally shot by security forces outside the Israeli embassy in Belgrade early Wednesday after striking a police officer in what Serbian officials have classified as a terrorist attack.
Details of the Incident and Suspect
Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic stated that the attacker charged at a guarding police officer with two knives while yelling “Allahu Akbar”. The officer suffered a minor facial knife wound before firing at the assailant.
Dacic noted that the suspect was a Serbian citizen and a minor who was previously under monitoring by security agencies due to known ties with the Islamic State. Authorities pointed out that the youth had recently published an image of the group’s flag on his Instagram account.
Following the attack, Serbia escalated its terrorism threat level to “red alert,” which is the highest tier. This measure introduces stricter security protocols and expands police patrols near essential infrastructure and high-density public areas.
Embassy Security and Precedent
Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed via social media that the mission was closed at the time of the occurrence and no embassy personnel sustained injuries. Dacic added that the wounded officer was in good condition and did not need hospital treatment.
This event marks the second attack on the Israeli diplomatic facility in the Serbian capital in under three years, following a June 2024 incident where a Serbian convert to Islam wounded an officer with a crossbow before being killed, as reported by BBC News. The latest attack occurred one day after Israeli general elections.
