Minor killed after knife attack on officer outside Israeli embassy in Belgrade

The attack

Shortly after midnight on Wednesday, 28 October, a minor attacked a police officer guarding the Israeli embassy in Belgrade with two knives, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said. The incident happened around 00:15 local time. The officer shot the attacker dead, and the interior ministry said the officer acted in self-defence. The officer was lightly wounded, with a knife cut to the face. The attacker has not been identified, but he is believed to come from Sabac, a town in western Serbia.

Terror classification and alert

Dacic described the incident as a terrorist attack and raised the national terror alert to red, the highest level. Under that level, security checks are tightened and police presence is increased at sensitive sites, including critical infrastructure and places where large crowds gather. Police have stepped up their presence at key locations across the country. The ministry's communique described the officer's actions in the encounter, and the alert was announced within hours of the attack.

Islamic State links

Dacic said the attacker was a known supporter of Islamic State and had been under surveillance by the security services for some time. He said the minor's Instagram profile displayed a black flag and other Islamic State symbols. Authorities have not yet established whether the attacker acted alone or had operational contacts with others, and the investigation is focused on that question. Because he was already being watched, the case raises questions about how security services can spot the move from radical views to violence.

Political and security backdrop

Serbia held early parliamentary elections on Sunday, 25 October. A youth-led movement defeated the camp of Aleksandar Vucic, who had been in power for a long time, after nearly two years of protests against him. Vucic and his allies still control the police because no new government has been formed. Dacic is the outgoing interior minister, and his term is about to end.

Israel held Knesset elections on Tuesday, 27 October, and exit polls showed no clear winner. Vote counting was still under way in Israel when the attack took place in Belgrade. The embassy has been targeted before. In June 2024 an attacker armed with a crossbow wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli embassy, and a guard killed the attacker.