Serbian Police Neutralize Knife-Wielding Assailant Outside Israeli Embassy in Belgrade

• The suspect was a minor who used two knives in the attack
• The attacker shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the incident

BELGRADE, Serbia: Serbian police neutralized an unidentified minor who attacked a guard with two knives outside the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade early Wednesday.

Interior Minister Ivica Dacic stated that the incident is being treated as a terrorist attack, prompting authorities to raise the national terror threat to the highest level and increase police presence at key locations across the country.

According to Dacic, the assailant, shouting “Allahu Akbar,” attacked a member of the Gendarmerie with two knives. The police officer neutralized the attacker in self-defense and sustained minor injuries.

Serbia’s security services had been monitoring the suspect, who was identified as a supporter of the Daesh (Islamic State) group, with Dacic noting that the individual had displayed the black flag associated with the group on his Instagram account.

The attack occurs amidst a tense political climate in Serbia, just days after a youth-led movement defeated long-ruling former President Aleksandar Vucic in Sunday’s early parliamentary election. However, Vucic and his allies retain control of the police force as the new government formation remains ongoing.

Israel also conducted parliamentary elections on Tuesday, with exit polls indicating no clear winner.

This incident follows a previous attack in June 2024, during which an assailant armed with a crossbow wounded a police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade before being shot and killed by a guard.

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