Serbian police say assailant killed after attacking officer outside the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — An assailant with knives attacked a police officer from an elite unit guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade just after midnight on Wednesday, police said. The officer responded by fatally shooting the attacker.

Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said that police were treating the incident as a “terrorist attack” and had raised the terror threat to the highest level and stepped up police presence at key locations.

He said the attacker was a minor and had two knives. He attacked the member of the Gendarmerie, shouting Allahu Akbar, or “God is great” in Arabic. Dacic added that the police officer, who was slightly wounded in the face, killed the assailant in self-defense.

Israel’s foreign ministry confirmed the “attempted terrorist attack,” saying it was under investigation by the Serbian authorities.

“The attacker was neutralized by local police,” the statement said. “No embassy personnel were injured, and the mission was closed at the time of the incident, which occurred late at night.”

Serbian prosecutors said that a “person dressed in black clothes” opened the door to the guard’s booth outside the embassy and charged at the officer inside with the knives, throwing one in his direction and hitting the officer’s left cheek.

The officer, identified by his initials D.S., then pulled out his weapon and fired several shots at the assailant, killing him on the spot, the office of the Higher Public Prosecutor in Belgrade, said.

Police photos from the scene showed the guard’s booth outside the embassy and the area sealed off by police tape as officers in full gear stood nearby.

The attacker was believed to be from the western Serbian town of Sabac, Dacic said.

He said that Serbia’s security agencies had been monitoring the attacker, who he said was a supporter of the Islamic State group. Dacic said that “he kept the black flag in support of the Islamic State on his Instagram” account.

Wednesday’s attack comes just days after Serbia held a key early parliamentary election on Sunday in which long-ruling former President Aleksandar Vucic was defeated by a youth-led movement after almost two years of protests against him. But Vucic and his allies still control the police as the new government is yet to be formed.

Israel also held its parliamentary vote Tuesday that exit polls said produced no clear winner.

In June 2024, an attacker with a crossbow also wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade. The assailant was shot and killed by the officer.

Israel’s embassy is located not far from the U.S. Embassy in an upscale Belgrade district. It is guarded by an elite police unit with officers armed with automatic weapons.

Serbia has maintained close relations with Israel.