Serbia has raised the terrorism alert to the highest level after a knife-wielding minor attacked a guard outside the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade on Wednesday, the government said.
The attacker was shot dead at the scene of the incident, which took place at around 12:15 AM local time.
“A minor, whose identity has not yet been established… attacked a member of the Gendarmerie with two knives while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar,’” caretaker Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said in a government press release, adding that the suspect was believed to be from the western Serbian town of Sabac. “The Gendarmerie officer neutralized the attacker in self-defense and sustained minor injuries in the process.”
According to the Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office, the attacker opened the door of the guard booth and threw a knife that struck the officer’s left cheek. The guard fired several shots, killing the attacker.
The embassy was the site of a similar attack in June 2024, when a crossbow-wielding attacker wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the compound before being shot dead.
Israel ordered tighter security at its embassies last May, after a man shot two embassy employees dead in Washington. The suspect reportedly said he did it “for Palestine” and “for Gaza” during his arrest.
Israeli embassies have faced heightened threats since the Gaza war began in October 2023, amid international condemnation of Israel’s military operation, which has killed nearly 75,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave’s health authorities.
Reported anti-Semitic incidents have also remained above prewar levels. Last year, anti-Semitic attacks killed 20 people worldwide, the highest toll in more than three decades according to Tel Aviv University’s annual report published in April.
The Belgrade attack also came as Israel counted votes from Tuesday’s parliamentary election, which had the highest voter turnout in decades. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who led Israel during the Gaza war and conflicts with Iran, is seeking another term. However, neither his bloc nor the main opposition grouping has secured the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority as counting continued Wednesday.
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