Knife Attacker Shot Dead Outside Israeli Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia Raises Terror Alert to Highest Level

An attacker armed with two knives wounded a police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade just after midnight on Wednesday, October 28, before the officer shot the assailant dead, Serbian police said. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said police are treating the incident as a terrorist attack and have raised the national terror threat level to red, the highest level, with a stepped up police presence at key locations.

What happened outside the embassy

Dacic said the attacker was a minor whose identity has not yet been determined, and who is reasonably suspected to be from Sabac, a town in western Serbia. In an emailed statement reported by Reuters, Dacic said the minor rushed at an officer of the Gendarmerie shouting "Allahu Akbar" and attacked him with two knives. The officer, who suffered a light wound to the head and face, killed the assailant in self defense, Dacic said.

Police photos from the scene showed the guard booth outside the embassy and the area sealed off with police tape, with officers in full gear standing nearby, the Associated Press reported. The embassy sits in an upscale district of Belgrade, not far from the United States Embassy, and is guarded by an elite police unit whose officers carry automatic weapons.

A suspect who was already being watched

Dacic said Serbia's security agencies had been monitoring the attacker, who he described as a supporter of the Islamic State group. He said the attacker kept the black flag in support of the Islamic State on his Instagram account, the Associated Press reported. Officials have not released the attacker's name, and Dacic's statement described the identity as still undetermined. No other injuries were reported in the accounts given by Reuters and the Associated Press, and neither report said that any embassy staff were hurt.

The second attack at the same embassy in two years

The attack is the second at Belgrade's Israeli embassy in two years. In June 2024, an assailant shot a Serbian police officer in the neck with a crossbow outside the same embassy. That attacker was also shot and killed by an officer. Serbia has maintained close relations with Israel, and the embassy has stayed under armed guard since the 2024 attack.

A tense week in both countries

The attack came hours after Israelis voted on Tuesday, October 27, in a parliamentary election that exit polls said produced no clear winner. It also came days after Serbia held an early parliamentary election on Sunday in which former President Aleksandar Vucic was defeated by a youth led movement after almost two years of protests against him. Vucic and his allies still control the police while the new government is yet to be formed, and Dacic serves as outgoing interior minister in the caretaker administration.

With the threat level at red, Dacic said there would be an increased police presence at key locations. Police have not said whether they believe the attacker acted alone, and the investigation into his identity and contacts is continuing.