Attempted attack near the Israeli embassy in Serbia: Terrorist killed after attempting to stab a security guard

An attempted attack occurred Tuesday night into Wednesday outside the Israeli embassy in Belgrade. An assailant, shouting "Allahu Akbar" and armed with two knives, lunged at a Serbian police officer who was guarding the Israeli delegation and was killed on the spot.

According to the statement from the local police, the terrorist arrived at the compound shortly after midnight, attacked a security officer and lightly wounded him before the guard opened fire, neutralized him, and caused his death.

In Serbia, the attack near the Israeli embassy was officially defined as a deliberate act of terror. The Serbian Minister of the Interior addressed the details of the incident and stated that "a minor, whose identity has not yet been determined, shouted 'Allahu Akbar' and attacked a gendarmerie officer with two knives."

The minister emphasized that the security forces officer stationed outside the embassy acted as expected in the face of immediate danger and "neutralized" the attacker in "self-defense," sustaining only minor injuries himself.

Following the attack near the Israeli mission, security authorities took immediate emergency measures. The Serbian interior minister announced that the police are treating the incident as a "terrorist attack," and accordingly, it was decided to raise the terror threat level in Serbia to the highest degree.

In addition, security forces were instructed to significantly increase their presence and security arrangements at strategic locations and sensitive facilities throughout the capital.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, they addressed the incident and stated: "We confirm the reports regarding an attempted attack near the Israeli embassy in Belgrade. The perpetrator was neutralized by the local police, and there are no casualties among the staff of the mission, which was closed at that late hour. The matter is under investigation by the relevant authorities."

The current attempted attack joins a serious incident that occurred at the same location in June 2024, when the compound of the Israeli embassy in Belgrade was attacked by a local citizen who had converted to Islam and undergone radicalization. In that incident, the attacker shot a police officer guarding the mission in the neck with a crossbow (bow and arrow rifle), but the wounded officer managed to return fire and neutralize the attacker before being taken for emergency surgery.

Following that attack, which was also officially defined as a terrorist attack, a state of high alert was declared in Serbia, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem clarified that no embassy staff members were harmed.