Attacker shot dead by Serbian police outside Israeli embassy in Belgrade was a minor; security raised after 'terror attack'

Attacker shot dead by Serbian police outside Israeli embassy in Belgrade was a minor; security raised after 'terror attack'

A 16-year-old was shot dead by Serbian police outside the Israeli embassy in Belgrade early Wednesday.

Serbian police said that the teen assaulted a police guard with knives, causing injuries before being shot dead by him

According to Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, the attacker, whom he described as a minor, was being monitored by security agencies as a supporter of the Islamic State, deemed a terror organisation.

Israel’s foreign ministry also confirmed the attempted terrorist attack near its embassy in Belgrade.

The attacker was reported to have come from the western Serbian town of Sabac.

The minister said that the he "kept the black flag in support of the 'Islamic State' on his Instagram account.

Dacic also said that he shouted Allah Akbar during the attack on the guard. According to the interior minister, the guard killed the attacker in self-defence.

Police are reportedly treating the incident as a terrorist attack and have raised the terrorism threat level to its highest “red alert.

"This means tighter security checks and an increased police presence at sensitive sites, including infrastructure facilities and places where large crowds gather," he said.

The attack comes just days before the parliamentary elections in Serbia and a day after the Israeli parliamentary vote, which ended with no clear result.

In 2024, a similar attack took place. An attacker with a crossbow caused injuries to a police officer at the same embassy before being shot dead by police. He was a 25-year-old Islamic convert from a village near the capital