A Serbian gendarmerie officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade was attacked with two knives at 15 minutes past midnight. The attacker, believed to be a minor from Šabac, shouted “Allahu Akbar” before attacking the guard. In self-defense, the gendarmerie officer killed the attacker.
The guard suffered a facial injury but is in good condition. Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Ivica Dacic announced that he had visited the officer together with Police Director Dragan Vasilevic and that he was expected to be released from the hospital.
„The investigation is ongoing. Considering that the terrorist act was committed on our territory, I have raised the terrorism threat level to the highest possible level, that is, to the red level“, said Ivica Dacic.After the attack, the Serbian authorities have increased the police presence and control in places of special importance for security. The measures cover infrastructure sites and areas where large numbers of citizens gather.
According to Dacic, the services have monitored the actions of the attacker and have established data on his sympathies for the “Islamic State“. The minister cited a post of the organization's flag on an Instagram account as the basis for this assessment.
The investigation is ongoing, with the identity of the attacker and all the circumstances surrounding the attack still being clarified. The case has been classified by the Serbian Interior Minister as a terrorist attack.
Sources: bta.bg, rts.rs, apnews.com