Serbian police shot dead a knife-wielding attacker outside Israel’s embassy in Belgrade in the early hours of Wednesday, October 28, after the man wounded a guarding officer, and Serbia raised its terrorism threat level to red, its highest rating.
Outgoing Interior Minister Ivica Dacic described the incident as a terrorist attack. The officer suffered a minor knife wound to the face, and no embassy personnel were injured, according to Israel’s foreign ministry.
What happened outside the embassy
The attack took place just after midnight on Wednesday outside the Israeli embassy in Belgrade. According to the Belgrade-based Higher Public Prosecution Office, a black-clad individual opened the door of a guard house in front of the embassy and rushed at a Gendarmerie officer, identified only by the initials D.S., armed with two knives.
The attacker threw one knife at the officer, hitting him in the left cheek. The officer then drew his service weapon and fired several shots, killing the attacker on the spot. Prosecutors said the officer’s action was qualified as justified and in self-defence, and the investigation is continuing.
Dacic said the attacker was a minor whose identity had not yet been established, and who was reasonably suspected to be from Šabac, a city in western Serbia. He said the young man shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he rushed at the officer.
Later on Wednesday, heavily armed special police were seen guarding the embassy entrance and patrolling the street outside, according to journalists at the scene.
What the authorities say about the attacker
Dacic said security services had been monitoring the attacker, whom he described as known to be a supporter of Daesh, also known as Islamic State. He said the attacker’s Instagram profile featured a black flag and the Daesh emblem.
That description comes from the interior minister’s statement and has not been independently confirmed by investigators in the reports published so far. The attacker’s identity remains formally undetermined, and prosecutors have not yet named him.
Serbia raises its threat level to red
Dacic raised Serbia’s terrorism threat level to red, the highest level available. In practice, he said, that means tighter security checks and an increased police presence at sensitive sites, including infrastructure facilities and places where large crowds gather.
The red alert applies across the country, not only around the embassy. It is a precautionary step while the investigation continues and while police check whether the attacker acted alone or had any contacts.
Why the embassy has been targeted before
Such attacks are rare in Serbia, but the Israeli embassy in Belgrade has been targeted before. In June 2024, an attacker armed with a crossbow seriously wounded a police officer guarding the embassy before being shot dead by police.
The attacker in that incident was identified at the time as a 25-year-old man from a village near Belgrade who had converted to Islam and later embraced extremist views. The new attack is the second at the same embassy in two years, which helps explain why the response this time included an immediate move to the highest threat level.
The political backdrop in Serbia
The attack comes at an unsettled political moment in Serbia. Serbia’s student-led movement toppled longtime leader Aleksandar Vucic in Sunday’s election, but the outgoing administration remains in place in a caretaker role until a new government is formed.
Dacic himself is the outgoing interior minister, speaking for a caretaker government. That context matters because the decisions announced on Wednesday — the red alert and the heavier police presence — are being taken by an administration that is still in office but no longer holds a fresh electoral mandate.
Timing: a day after Israel’s election
The attack also happened a day after Israelis went to the polls, with projected results showing the opposition bloc neck and neck with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp. There is no evidence in the published reports linking the Belgrade attack to the Israeli election result, and the two events should not be read as cause and effect.
Still, the timing is part of why the story drew attention beyond Serbia: an attack on an Israeli diplomatic site, on the morning after a closely watched Israeli vote, in a European capital already on edge.
What happens next
Three things will shape the next stage of this story. First, prosecutors will establish the attacker’s identity and whether he acted alone. Second, police will say whether the red alert stays in place or is lowered as the investigation progresses. Third, the caretaker government will have to decide how long the heavier security presence around embassies and public sites remains.
For now, the facts established by the authorities are narrow: one attacker dead, one officer wounded but not seriously, no embassy staff hurt, and a country on its highest terrorism alert while an investigation runs.
Timeline
- Just after midnight, Wednesday, October 28: A knife-wielding attacker targets a Gendarmerie officer at the guard house in front of Israel’s embassy in Belgrade.
- Early Wednesday: The officer, wounded in the left cheek, shoots the attacker dead. Prosecutors later qualify the shooting as justified and in self-defence.
- Wednesday morning: Outgoing Interior Minister Ivica Dacic calls the incident a terrorist attack and raises Serbia’s terrorism threat level to red, its highest.
- Wednesday daytime: Heavily armed special police guard the embassy entrance and patrol the surrounding street. Israel’s foreign ministry confirms no embassy personnel were injured and says it is investigating.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What happened outside Israel’s embassy in Belgrade? A: A knife-wielding attacker rushed a Gendarmerie officer guarding the embassy just after midnight on October 28, wounding him in the cheek. The officer shot the attacker dead. Prosecutors said the shooting was justified and in self-defence.
Q: Was anyone else injured? A: No. The guarding officer suffered a minor knife wound to the face, and Israel’s foreign ministry confirmed that no embassy personnel were injured.
Q: Who was the attacker? A: His identity has not yet been established. Authorities describe him as a minor reasonably suspected to be from Šabac in western Serbia, and say security services had been monitoring him. The investigation is continuing.
Q: Why did Serbia raise its threat level to red? A: Outgoing Interior Minister Ivica Dacic raised the terrorism threat level to its highest rating, meaning tighter security checks and more police at sensitive sites, infrastructure and crowded places, while the investigation continues.
Q: Has the Israeli embassy in Belgrade been attacked before? A: Yes. In June 2024, an attacker armed with a crossbow seriously wounded a police officer guarding the same embassy before being shot dead by police. The new attack is the second there in two years.
Q: What happens next in Serbia? A: Prosecutors will confirm the attacker’s identity and whether he acted alone, police will review how long the red alert stays in place, and the caretaker government will decide how long the heavier security presence lasts.
Related coverage
The attack comes days after Serbia’s student-led movement toppled longtime leader Aleksandar Vucic in Sunday’s election, an outcome covered in our report on the result, and after Serbia’s snap election campaign itself. It also follows a day after Israelis went to the polls, with the opposition bloc neck and neck with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp. More international stories can be found in our World section.