Israeli embassy in Serbia, USA News (Belgrade): A suspected Islamic terrorist wounded a policeman guarding the Israeli embassy in Belgrade before the officer shot the assailant dead, according to official statements. An investigation revealed that a black-clad individual opened the door of a guard house outside the embassy and rushed at the officer, identified by the initials D.S., while armed with two knives. This incident marks the second attack at the Israeli embassy in the Serbian capital within two years, following a June 2024 incident where an assailant shot a Serbian police officer in the neck with a crossbow.
Serbia’s outgoing interior minister, Ivica Dačić, provided details of the confrontation. “One minor, of so far undetermined identity, who is reasonably suspected to be from Šabac, rushed at an officer of the Gendarmerie shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ and attacked him with two knives,” Mr. Dačić said. He noted that the unidentified person threw one knife toward D.S., striking him in the left cheek. Following the assault, D.S. drew his service weapon and fired several shots at the attacker, killing him immediately.
In response to the incident, Mr. Dačić raised Serbia’s security threat level to red, the highest designation, and announced an increased police presence at key locations across Belgrade. The attack occurred a day after voters in Israel went to the polls, with projected results showing an opposition bloc neck and neck with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp. Meanwhile, Serbia’s political landscape has shifted following a student-led movement that toppled longtime leader Aleksandar Vučić, though the outgoing administration remains in a caretaker role until a new government is established.
