Policeman Wounded, Attacker Killed at Israeli Embassy in Belgrade

A knife attacker wounded a policeman guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade overnight, and the wounded officer shot and killed the assailant outside the building, Reuters reported.

The attack took place shortly after midnight on 28 October. Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ivica Dačić, who is serving in a caretaker role, said the incident was a terrorist attack on a member of the Gendarmerie, a Serbian police force, who was securing the Israeli Embassy. He made the statement in an item published by the Interior Ministry.

The attacker was armed with two knives, according to reports, and wounded the officer before being shot by him. Sky News also reported that the assailant was shot dead by police outside the embassy. Serbia's interior minister described the assailant as a minor, Deutsche Welle reported.

Following the attack, the government ordered the terrorism security threat level raised to its highest degree, the Interior Ministry said. Police presence was also increased at key locations.

Serbia is a country in the Balkans with a large Serbian population and a government that has been in place in a caretaker capacity during this period. The Interior Ministry has not, in the material available to this report, given a motive for the attack, and no group has been named as responsible.