Serbian Police Kill Knife Attacker Outside Israeli Embassy as Minister Describes Suspected Terror Attack

Serbian police shot dead an unidentified minor outside Israel's embassy in Belgrade shortly after midnight on Wednesday, 28 October, after the attacker wounded a Gendarmerie officer with two knives.

Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said the assailant shouted 'Allahu Akbar' before rushing at the officer. The guard suffered a minor cut to the face and shot the attacker dead in what officials described as self-defence. Authorities are investigating the incident, and the attacker's motive has not been independently established.

Dačić said police were treating the incident as a suspected terrorist attack and had raised Serbia's security threat level to red, the highest level. He said police would increase their presence at sensitive sites, including infrastructure facilities and places where large crowds gather.

Serbia Raises Security Alert to Highest Level

Dačić said the attacker was a minor whose identity had not been established and who was suspected of coming from Šabac, a town in western Serbia. He said security services had been monitoring the suspect, whom he described as a supporter of the Islamic State group.

According to Dačić, the suspect had displayed the group's black flag and emblem on an Instagram account. These claims have been attributed to the minister and have not been independently verified. The suspect's identity, motive and any links to Islamic State remain under investigation.

A statement from Serbia's Interior Ministry said the attack happened at about 12.15am. It said the attacker rushed at the Gendarmerie officer with two knives while shouting 'Allahu Akbar'. The officer was guarding the Israeli Embassy in the Serbian capital.

Israel's Foreign Ministry confirmed an attempted terrorist attack near the embassy. It said no embassy personnel were injured and the mission was closed at the time. The ministry said the incident was being investigated by the relevant authorities.

Prosecutors Say Officer Acted in Self-Defence

Belgrade's Higher Public Prosecutor's Office said an unidentified person dressed in black opened the door of a guard booth outside the embassy and attacked an officer identified only by the initials D.S.

According to the prosecutor's office, the attacker threw one of the knives, striking the officer's left cheek. The officer then drew his service weapon and fired several shots, killing the attacker at the scene. Prosecutors said the officer's actions had been assessed as justified and in self-defence.

Dačić described the officer's injury as minor. The prosecutor's assessment concerns the officer's use of force; it does not establish the attacker's motive. Authorities have not publicly identified the attacker.

Previous Attack Outside Israeli Embassy

The incident was the second reported attack on a guard outside Israel's embassy in Belgrade in just over two years. In June 2024, a man armed with a crossbow wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the building before being shot dead. The earlier attack highlighted security concerns around the mission, but available reports have not established a link between the two incidents.

The latest attack came days after Serbia's parliamentary election on Sunday, 25 October. A student-backed movement defeated the alliance led by the Serbian Progressive Party, associated with former president Aleksandar Vučić, after nearly two years of anti-government protests. Vučić conceded defeat, and the outgoing administration remains in a caretaker role while a new government is formed.

The incident also came a day after Israel held a parliamentary election. No evidence has been reported establishing a connection between either election and the attack.

Dačić is serving as Serbia's interior minister in a caretaker capacity during the political transition. His ministry said the security alert had been raised to the highest level, with increased monitoring and police presence at key sites.

Investigators are seeking to establish the attacker's identity and motive, including whether he had links to Islamic State. Police have not announced any additional arrests or released further details about the evidence gathered so far. Until further evidence is released, claims about the suspect's affiliation should remain attributed to Serbian officials.