A fatal confrontation occurred outside the Israeli embassy in Belgrade in the early hours of Wednesday when police shot a young man during what officials characterized as a terrorist attack.
According to Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, the assailant rushed toward a police officer armed with two knives while shouting the phrase “Allahu Akbar”. The officer was struck in the face, sustaining a minor knife wound, and responded by shooting the attacker. Dacic stated that the suspect remained unidentified at the time but was a minor and Serbian citizen who had been under surveillance by security services due to known support for the Islamic State.
Security officials indicated that the suspect had previously posted an image of an Islamic State flag on Instagram. No embassy personnel were harmed during the incident, and the facility was closed at the time. The injured police officer was reported to be in stable condition and did not require hospital treatment.
In response to the attack, authorities elevated the country’s terrorism threat level to “red alert”, the highest designation available. This elevated status typically triggers enhanced security protocols including stricter checks at critical infrastructure sites and increased police deployment in areas with concentrated populations.
Wednesday’s incident marks the second attack on the Israeli embassy in Belgrade within less than three years. In June 2024, a separate assailant shot a police officer stationed at the embassy with a crossbow. That officer survived the attack and subsequently fatally shot the assailant, identified as a Serbian convert to Islam.
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