Crimeupdated 50m ago2 min read
MapSerbian Police Kill Knife Attacker Outside Israeli Embassy In Belgrade, Dacic Says
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Minor attacker with knives attacked a guard outside Israeli Embassy in Belgrade and was killed. Authorities treat the incident as a terrorist attack and raised Serbia's threat level to red.
Knife Attack Outside Embassy
Serbian police said an unidentified assailant attacked a guard with knives outside the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade and was killed just after midnight Wednesday. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said police were treating the incident as a “terrorist attack” and raised the terror threat to the highest level while stepping up police presence at key locations. Dacic said a minor, “so far unidentified … shouting Allahu Akbar,” attacked the member of Gendarmerie and was “liquidated” by the officer in “self-defense,” with the officer lightly wounded.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed an “attempted terrorist attack” near its embassy in Belgrade and said “none of the embassy staff were injured,” while local authorities investigated the incident. The incident occurred as Serbia and Israel held parliamentary elections this week, with Serbia’s outgoing administration remaining in a caretaker role until the new government is formed.
Competing Descriptions of Motive
Ivica Dacic told reporters the suspect was a supporter of the Islamic State group and said “he kept the black flag in support of the Islamic State on his Instagram” account. The BBC said Dacic raised the country’s terrorism threat level to “red alert” and described the attacker as a minor and Serbian citizen who was being monitored as he was “known to be a supporter of the Islamic State.” The Higher Public Prosecution Office in Belgrade said its investigation showed that a black-clad unidentified individual opened the door of a guard house in front of the embassy and rushed at the policeman armed with two knives.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on X that “the local police killed the attacker,” and it added that the mission was closed at the time of the incident in the late hours of the night. The BBC described the officer as sustaining a minor knife wound to the face before shooting the attacker, while other accounts said the officer was lightly wounded and that the investigation was continuing.
Security Alert and Aftermath
Serbian authorities raised security measures after the attack, with Ivica Dacic saying he had raised Serbia’s security threat level to red, the highest, and that there would be an increased police presence at key locations. The BBC said armed security personnel were seen standing guard outside the Israeli embassy on Wednesday morning, while the Israeli foreign ministry confirmed no embassy personnel were injured and the mission was closed at the time of the incident. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was investigating the incident and stated that “the competent authorities are currently investigating the incident,” while the embassy remained closed at the time of the late-night attack.
The BBC said the attack was the second such attack on Belgrade’s Israeli embassy in less than three years, after a June 2024 incident in which a man shot a police officer in the neck with a crossbow. The incident left the injured police officer reportedly doing well and not needing hospital care for his wounds, according to the BBC.