Serbian Gendarmerie officers guard the entrance to Israel’s Embassy in Belgrade on Oct. 28, 2026, after a police officer stationed there was attacked with two knives shortly after midnight. (Andrej Isakovic / AFP via Getty Images)
A knife-wielding attacker assaulted a Serbian Gendarmerie officer assigned to protect Israel’s Embassy in Belgrade shortly after midnight Wednesday. Serbian officials said the officer, acting in self-defense, fatally shot the assailant.
The attacker, who was reportedly a minor, allegedly yelled “Allahu Akbar” — Arabic for “God is great” — while slashing the officer in the face. Authorities said the officer suffered slight injuries.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said investigators are handling the case as a terrorist attack and noted that security officials had been tracking the suspect.
Dacic said the alleged attacker had expressed support for ISIS and had posted a black flag featuring the group’s symbol on Instagram. He was believed to be a Serbian national from the town of Sabac, the minister said.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry also described the incident as an “attempted terrorist attack,” saying the appropriate authorities were investigating.
“The attacker was neutralized by local police. No embassy personnel were injured, and the mission was closed at the time of the incident, which occurred late at night,” the ministry said.
Serbian prosecutors said a person dressed in black opened the door of the security booth outside the embassy at approximately 12:15 a.m. local time.
A Serbian police officer keeps watch outside Israel’s Embassy in Belgrade after the Oct. 28, 2026, attack. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Prosecutors said the suspect moved toward the officer, identified as D.S., inside the booth and threw one of the knives. The blade struck D.S. in the left cheek.
D.S. then drew his service firearm and fired several shots, killing the attacker at the scene, according to the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade.
Images taken in the hours following the attack showed heavily armed police guarding the embassy entrance.
The Israeli Embassy in Belgrade is pictured after the Oct. 28, 2026, terrorist attack. (Reuters/Zorana Jevtic)
Dacic said Serbia had moved its terrorism alert to the highest level. Police were subsequently deployed in greater numbers around sensitive locations and areas where large crowds gather nationwide.
The incident follows a similar attack in June 2024, when a man armed with a crossbow wounded a Serbian officer guarding Israel’s Embassy in Belgrade. That officer returned fire and killed the attacker.
The latest violence occurred one day after Israel’s parliamentary elections, in which exit polls indicated that no party had secured a clear victory.
