Belgrade: The Israeli Embassy in the Serbian capital of Belgrade was targeted in an attempted terrorist attack, the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed in a post on 'X' on Wednesday.
No embassy personnel were injured in the attack with the mission being closed at the time of the incident, the post read.
The Serbian police confirmed the attack saying that an assailant with knives attacked a police officer from an elite unit guarding the Israeli Embassy and was killed just after midnight on Wednesday.
Attempted Terrorist Attack Near the Israeli Embassy in BelgradeWe confirm reports of an attempted terrorist attack near the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade.The attacker was neutralized by local police. No embassy personnel were injured, and the mission was closed at the time of the incident, which occurred late at night.The incident is currently under investigation by the relevant authorities.
The attempted attack is under investigation, the Embassy noted.
Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said that police were treating the incident as a “terrorist attack” and had raised the terror threat to the highest level and stepped up police presence at key locations.
He said the attacker was a minor and had two knives. He attacked the member of the Gendarmerie, shouting Allahu Akbar, or “God is great” in Arabic. Dacic added that the police officer, who was slightly wounded in the face, killed the assailant in self-defense.
Police photos from the scene showed the guard's booth outside the embassy and the area sealed off by police tape as officers in full gear stood nearby.
The attacker was believed to be from the western Serbian town of Sabac, Dacic said.
He said that Serbia's security agencies had been monitoring the attacker, who he said was a supporter of the Islamic State (IS) group. Dacic said that “he kept the black flag in support of the Islamic State on his Instagram” account.
Wednesday's attack comes just days after Serbia held a key early parliamentary election on Sunday in which long-ruling former President Aleksandar Vucic was defeated by a youth-led movement after almost two years of protests against him. But Vucic and his allies still control the police as the new government is yet to be formed.
(With inputs from AP via PTI)