Attack near Israeli embassy raises alert level in Serbia
A police officer was lightly injured after a teenage attacker assaulted him with knives near the embassy.
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A police officer was attacked at the Israeli embassy in Belgrade overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday. Serbia subsequently raised the national terrorism threat level to red.
According to Serbia’s interior minister, the attack took place shortly after midnight at the embassy entrance. Minister Ivica Dačić said a minor, whose identity has not yet been established, attacked a member of the gendarmerie with two knives. The minister said the police officer suffered minor injuries.
The officer shot the attacker. Serbian authorities are treating the incident as a terrorist attack. This is the government’s provisional classification; the investigation must still establish the exact circumstances and background.
After the attack, Serbia’s terrorism threat level was raised to red. According to the authorities, this means an increased police presence at key infrastructure and places where large numbers of people gather. The authorities also said security measures around diplomatic buildings had been tightened.
The Israeli embassy had previously been the target of an attack. According to the same authorities, a Serbian police officer was attacked with a crossbow at the same embassy in June 2024. Serbian authorities say the current case is being investigated separately.
The event comes a day after Israel’s parliamentary elections, for which the first projections indicated no clear winner. The combination of the elections, the location of the attack and the heightened security makes the incident internationally sensitive, but there is still no public evidence that the attack is connected to the elections or to a specific organisation.
The police are investigating, among other things, the attacker’s identity, possible contacts and motive. Reports of ideological or organisational ties have not yet been independently confirmed. Serbian authorities have not yet presented any definitive conclusions on the matter.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The key facts have been confirmed by two independent news sources. The motive and identity have deliberately been presented as uncertain.
- confirmed A police officer was attacked at the Israeli embassy in Belgrade. — Reported by AP and Reuters. source
- confirmed The attacker was a minor and used two knives. — Stated by Serbia’s interior minister and reported by both sources. source
- confirmed Serbia raised the threat level to red. — Reported by AP and Reuters. source
Editor's note
The attack, the injured officer and the heightened alert level were reported by AP and Reuters. The identity, motive and any organisational ties have not yet been established.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- De Telegraaf — „servië belgrado”
- AD — „servië belgrado”
- de Volkskrant — „servië belgrado”