Serbian shot dead after attacking officer outside Israeli embassy, minister says
Authorities say the attacker in Belgrade was an underage male who was being monitored by security services.
Serbian police shot and killed a young man outside the Israeli embassy in Belgrade in the early hours of Wednesday after what officials described as a "terrorist attack".
Interior minister Ivica Dacic said the attacker ran toward a police officer carrying two knives while shouting "Allahu Akbar". The officer suffered a minor knife wound to the face and then shot the attacker.
Dacic said the suspect has not been identified, but was a minor and a Serbian citizen who was under security service monitoring because he was "known to be a supporter of the Islamic State".
Speaking to reporters outside the embassy, Dacic said an investigation is under way, while security services said the suspect had posted a picture of the Islamic State flag on his Instagram.
Dacic increased the country's terrorism threat level to "red alert" - the highest level - which means tighter security checks and a larger police presence at places such as infrastructure sites and areas where large crowds gather.
The interior minister said he had met the injured police officer, who was reportedly in good condition and did not require hospital treatment for his injuries.
Armed security officers were seen guarding the Israeli embassy on Wednesday morning.
Israel's foreign ministry said in a social media post that no embassy staff were hurt and that the mission was closed when the incident took place.
It was the second attack on Belgrade's Israeli embassy in less than three years; in June 2024, a man shot a police officer in the neck with a crossbow.
That officer survived and shot dead the attacker, who was identified as a Serbian man who had converted to Islam.
Wednesday's attack came just one day after elections in Israel.