Serbian Officer Kills Knife Attacker Outside Israeli Embassy in Belgrade

Serbia raised its terrorism alert to the highest level after an attack on an embassy guard. The interior minister said the assailant had been monitored as an Islamic State supporter.

A police officer shot dead an attacker armed with two knives outside Israel's embassy in Belgrade at about 00:15 on Wednesday, October 28, Serbian authorities said. The officer suffered a minor facial injury. No embassy personnel were hurt.

Authorities are treating the incident as a terrorist attack. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic ordered a red terrorism alert, Serbia's highest setting, and increased police presence at sensitive locations and places where crowds gather.

A knife thrown into the guard booth

The Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor's Office gave a more detailed account of the confrontation. It said a person dressed in black opened the door of the embassy's guard booth and approached the Gendarmerie officer inside with two knives.

The attacker threw one knife, striking the officer in the left cheek, prosecutors said. The officer, identified by the initials D.S., drew his service weapon and fired several shots, killing the assailant at the scene.

Following an examination of the scene, the prosecutor's office said the use of the firearm was justified in self defense. It added that work to establish all the circumstances was continuing.

Minister says attacker was an Islamic State supporter

Dacic said the assailant shouted "Allahu Akbar" during the assault. He described the attacker as a minor whose identity had not yet been established in the initial announcement, with authorities suspecting he was from the western Serbian city of Sabac.

The minister said security services had already been monitoring him. According to Dacic, the attacker was known as a supporter of Islamic State and displayed the group's black flag and emblem on his Instagram account.

Red alert extends security beyond the embassy

Dacic said the heightened alert would mean tighter monitoring and more police at locations of particular security importance. Infrastructure facilities and places where large numbers of people gather were among the sites he identified.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by Euronews Serbia that the embassy was closed when the attack occurred and that none of its personnel had been injured. It said Serbian authorities were investigating.

A previous guard was attacked in 2024

The same embassy was the scene of another attack on a Serbian police guard on June 29, 2024. In that incident, an assailant shot the officer in the neck with a crossbow. The wounded officer returned fire, and the attacker died.

Serbian authorities also classified that incident as terrorism and raised the threat level to red.