Serbia sets red alert after police guard kills knife attacker at Israeli Embassy

Police in Belgrade shot dead a minor who attacked a guard with a knife outside the Israeli Embassy on Wednesday night. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic stated the officer fired in self-defense after the assailant slightly wounded him. The incident prompted Serbian authorities to raise the national terrorism threat level to red, the highest category in the system.

Dacic identified the attacker as a resident of Sabac, a town in western Serbia. The minister said security agencies had been monitoring the young man as a supporter of Islamic State. Dacic noted the individual displayed the black flag of the group on his Instagram account. During the assault, the attacker shouted Allahu Akbar, the Arabic phrase for God is great, according to the minister.

Israeli officials confirmed the event as an attempted terrorist attack near their diplomatic mission. The Foreign Ministry reported that no staff members were injured. Investigators are currently examining the details of the confrontation between the guard and the intruder.

The heightened security level requires tighter checks and a larger police presence at sensitive locations. Dacic specified that these measures include infrastructure facilities and areas where large crowds gather. The red alert remains active across the country following the overnight incident.

This attack occurred shortly after Serbia held its parliamentary election and one day after Israel voted for its own parliament. A similar incident struck the same embassy in June 2024, when a crossbow-wielding attacker wounded a police officer before police killed him. That 25-year-old man was also identified as a recent convert to Islam who had become radicalized.