Knife attack near Israeli Embassy in Belgrade; guard fatally shoots minor

Serbia was placed on high alert after a knife attack on a police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade, shortly after midnight.

The attacker was killed by the officer’s gunfire, and authorities are investigating the incident as a terrorist attack.

Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said the attacker was a minor and that his identity had not yet been established. He was carrying two knives and attacked a member of the Serbian Gendarmerie while shouting, “Allahu Akbar.”

The officer used his service weapon and shot the attacker, who died at the scene. Dačić said the police officer acted in self-defense and suffered minor injuries.

Following the attack, Serbian authorities raised the terrorist threat to the highest possible level and increased police measures at key locations across the country.

According to the minister, the minor had been under surveillance by Serbian security services because authorities considered him a supporter of the terrorist organization Islamic State.

Dačić said the minor had posted the black flag of Islamic State on his Instagram account, displaying his support for the organization.

The Foreign Ministry has not yet commented on the incident.

This is not the first such attack on an on-duty police officer near the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade.

In June 2024, a man wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the embassy with a crossbow.

On that occasion, too, the guard shot the attacker, who died.