A police officer was injured in a crossbow attack outside the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic informed reporters that the officer had responded by shooting and killing the assailant.
According to Mr. Dacic, the attacker, identified as Serbian, struck the officer in the neck with an arrow. The injured officer, Milos Jevremovic, underwent surgery and is reported to be in stable condition.
Authorities have characterized the assailant as a Muslim convert and have classified the attack as “terrorist” in nature.
Mr. Dacic stated that the attacker had approached a small building near the Israeli embassy multiple times around 11:00 (09:00 GMT), allegedly inquiring about a museum. He then entered the building, retrieved a crossbow, and fired at the officer. The officer returned fire, resulting in the assailant’s death approximately half an hour later.
Serbian authorities identified the attacker as Milos Zujovic, born in 1999 in Mladenovac, a town approximately 30 miles (48km) from Belgrade. Zujovic later moved to Novi Pazar, which is considered the cultural center of the Bosniak Muslim minority in Serbia.
They said that after converting to Islam, he went by the “religious name” Salahudin.
The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed that the embassy was closed during the incident and that no staff members were harmed.
Following the incident, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic announced that special prosecutors had taken over the case and classified it as a “terrorist act.” Consequently, Serbia raised its threat level to red, deploying increased police presence at potential targets and conducting searches at suspected planning locations. Earlier, Dacic had reported the precautionary arrest of several individuals.
While suggesting the attack might be linked to a broader threat, Interior Minister Dacic, Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic characterized it as an individual crime rather than a reflection of any religion or nation. Vucevic, quoted by the Beta news agency, described the incident as “an act of insanity.”
Vucevic urged the public to remain calm and resist any propaganda that could incite hate crimes.
Both Dacic and Vucevic labeled the incident as a “terrorist act.” Dacic’s office later disclosed the arrest of Igor Despotovic, born in Belgrade in 1999, for alleged daily communication with Zujovic. Despotovic was previously arrested two years ago in connection with running online extremist groups, an ongoing case.