Serbia: Knife attacker shot dead by police outside Israeli embassy in Belgrade

A man carrying knives has been killed by police after attacking an officer outside the Israeli embassy in Belgrade.

Serbian police said the unidentified man, a minor, who shouted Allahu Akbar, or "God is great" in Arabic, was shot dead just after midnight.

Police are treating the incident as a "terrorist attack", Serbia's Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said, adding the terror threat had been raised to its highest level with an increased police presence at key locations.

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The police officer, who is part of an elite unit, was slightly wounded in the face, Mr Dacic said.

The ​Belgrade-based Higher Public Prosecution Office said in a statement that a black-clad unidentified individual opened the door of a guard house in front ​of the embassy and, armed with two knives, ⁠rushed at the policeman, identified only ⁠by the initials DS.

"The unidentified person threw one knife in the direction of DS, hitting him in ‌the left cheek. After that, DS took out his service weapon and fired several shots at the attacker, killing him on the spot," it said.

The policeman's action was justified and in self-defence, it added.

Security agencies had been monitoring the attacker, who was believed to be from the western Serbian town of Sabac, the minister said.

The man was a supporter of the Islamic State group and "kept the black flag in support of the Islamic State on his Instagram" account, he added.

Pictures from the scene showed the area outside the embassy cordoned off by police tape as armed officers stood nearby.

The attack comes days after Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia's long-standing pro-Russian former president, lost an election to a youth-led movement after almost two years of protests against him.

As he conceded defeat in the closely fought contest, Mr Vucic urged supporters to avoid unrest.

But, with the new government as yet unformed, Mr Vucic and his allies still control the police.

Israel also held its parliamentary vote Tuesday that exit polls said produced no clear winner.

In June 2024, an attacker with a crossbow also wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade. The assailant was shot and killed by the officer.

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Israel's embassy is close to the US Embassy in an upscale area of the Serbian capital. It is guarded by an elite police unit with officers armed with automatic weapons.

Serbia has maintained close relations with Israel.

(c) Sky News 2026: Serbia: Knife attacker shot dead by police outside Israeli embassy in Belgrade