Belgrade Israeli embassy guard shoots dead teenage attacker

Police in Belgrade shot and killed a 16-year-old youth who assaulted an officer outside the Israeli embassy on Wednesday, prompting Serbian authorities to elevate the country's security alert to its maximum setting.

Outgoing Interior Minister Ivica Dacic characterized the assault as an act of terrorism. According to Dacic, the teenager carried out the early morning attack alone, wielding two knives and chanting religious slogans as he targeted the police officer stationed to guard the diplomatic compound.

The officer suffered minor injuries during the confrontation and responded with lethal force, fatally shooting the youth on the scene.

Investigators have not yet formally confirmed the teenager's identity, but intelligence and security agencies had previously monitored his activities, Dacic said. Authorities reported finding evidence on the suspect's Instagram account indicating allegiance to the Islamic State extremist group, including imagery of black flags and related organizational symbols.

The violent incident outside the diplomatic building is not the first of its kind in the Serbian capital. In June 2024, an attacker struck a security guard in the neck with a crossbow arrow in front of the same embassy. Guards returned fire and killed that assailant, whom officials later identified as a local resident adhering to an extreme religious ideology. That prior confrontation was also formally classified by the government as a terrorist attack.

The latest violence occurs during a period of substantial political transition across the Balkan nation. Just days before the embassy assault, Serbia concluded a general election in which longtime President Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat after 12 years in power, losing to an opposition movement led by students.