Cop shot knife attacker says “Allahu Akbar” outside Israeli Embassy in Serbia
By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – Serbia’s outgoing interior minister Ivica Dacic on Wednesday said in a statement that the knife attacker who yelled ‘Allahu Akbar” outside Israeli Embassy in Serbia is yet to be identified.
According to media reports an attacker carrying two knives wounded a policeman guarding the Israeli Embassy in Bengrade overnight, after which the officer shot the assailant dead.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry on X read a statement “We 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.”
Ivica Dacic said “One minor, of so far undetermined identity, who is reasonably suspected to be from (the western city of) Šabac, rushed at an officer of the Gendarmerie shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ and attacked him with two knives,”.
The Belgrade-based Higher Public Prosecution Office stated that an investigation showed that a black-clad unidentified individual opened the door of a guard hose in front of the Embassy.
The person, armed with two knives, rushed at the policeman, identified only by the initials D.S.
“The unidentified person threw one knife in the direction of D.S., hitting him in the left cheek. After that, D.S. took out his service weapon and fired several shots at the attacker, killing him on the spot,” it said.
It added that the policeman’s action was qualified as justified in self-defence.
Dacic noted that Serbia’s security threat level have been raised to red, the highest, adding that there would be an increased police presence at key locations.
This is the second such attack at the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade in 2 years. In June 2024, an assailant shot a Serbian police officer in the neck with a crossbow.
