Red alert declared in Serbia after police officer kills knife attacker at Israeli Embassy

Serbia has raised its national terror threat level to red following a fatal knife attack outside the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic confirmed the move on Wednesday, citing the incident that occurred overnight as a terrorist event.

The assailant, a minor from the town of Sabac, attacked a police guard stationed outside the diplomatic building. The officer sustained minor injuries before shooting the intruder dead in self-defense. Dacic stated that security agencies had been monitoring the young man as a supporter of the Islamic State group.

During the confrontation, the attacker shouted Allahu Akbar, according to the minister. Dacic noted that the suspect displayed a black flag in support of the organization on his Instagram account. Israel's Foreign Ministry verified the event as an attempted terrorist attack, confirming that no embassy personnel were hurt.

The red alert signals tighter security checks and a heavier police presence at sensitive sites, infrastructure, and crowded areas. The timing of the incident is notable, arriving just days after Serbia's early parliamentary election and one day after Israel's own vote, which has not yet produced a clear winner.

This is the second attack on the embassy in Belgrade in a short span. In June 2024, a crossbow-wielding attacker seriously wounded a guard at the same location before being killed. That assailant was a 25-year-old convert who had become radicalized.

Police are currently investigating the case, treating the dead attacker's actions as a targeted strike against the diplomatic mission.