Terror Attempt Thwarted in Belgrade: Knife-Wielding Minor Shot Outside Israeli Embassy

BELGRADE — Serbian security forces shot and killed an unidentified minor early Wednesday after the suspect launched a knife attack against a police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade. Authorities have officially classified the incident as a terrorist attack and raised the national terror threat level to its highest setting.

According to statement details released by Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, the violent encounter took place shortly after midnight when a suspect approached a member of the Serbian Gendarmerie stationed at the diplomatic perimeter.

Armed with two knives, the attacker lunged at the officer while shouting "Allahu Akbar". The guard sustained facial injuries during the sudden assault but managed to draw his service weapon and neutralize the assailant in self-defense. The officer was immediately transported to a medical facility, where doctors confirmed his injuries were minor and that he is expected to make a full recovery.

An investigator revealed that although the perpetrator's precise identity is still being confirmed, the youth hails from the western Serbian city of Sabac and was already under surveillance by domestic security agencies.

"Our security agencies had been monitoring the suspect, who was known to be a supporter of the Islamic State group," Minister Dacic stated, adding that the youth maintained content promoting IS ideology—including the groups black flag—on social media platforms.

In the wake of the attack, Serbian law enforcement placed critical infrastructure, government centers, and public places under high-security protocols with heavily reinforced police patrols.

Wednesday's attack marks the second major security breach targeting the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade. In June 2024, a radicalized assailant armed with a crossbow shot a police guard in the neck at the same compound before being killed by the officer.

Serbian authorities, alongside counter-terrorism specialists, are continuing sweeping searches in Sabac and surrounding regions to determine whether the minor acted alone or was directed by an active extremist cell.