A similar attack took place outside the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade in June 2024, when a man wounded a Serbian police officer before being shot dead by a guard.
Serbian police said an attacker was shot dead after assaulting a guard with knives outside the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade early Wednesday.
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Interior Minister Ivica Dacic described the incident as a suspected “terrorist attack”, saying authorities had raised the country's terror alert to its highest level and increased security at key sites.
Dacic said that “a minor, so far unidentified … shouting Allahu Akbar, attacked the member of Gendarmerie and attacked him with two knives.”
The officer was lightly wounded and shot the attacker dead in what Dacic described as “self-defense.”
The Minister said Serbian security services had been monitoring the suspect, whom he described as a supporter of the Islamic State group.
According to Dacic “he kept the black flag in support of the Islamic State on his Instagram” account.
The attack comes days after Serbia's early parliamentary election on Sunday, which saw a youth-led movement defeat former President Aleksandar Vucic's long-dominant political camp following nearly two years of anti-government protests. However, Vucic and his allies remain in control of the police while a new government has yet to be formed.
The incident also follows Tuesday's parliamentary election in Israel.