Serbian police are investigating a possible network and links to “foreign terrorist groups” after the crossbow attack on an Israeli embassy guard.
An attacker who fired a crossbow and injured a police officer guarding the Israeli embassy in Belgrade was shot dead in what authorities described as a “terrorist attack against Serbia.”
The officer was at a guard post and the attacker approached him several times to ask where a museum was, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said. He was carrying a bag from which, at one point, he took out the crossbow and shot the guard.
The police officer was hit in the neck by an arrow and fired several shots at the attacker, who then “died from his injuries.” The identity of the attacker remains to be determined.
“This is a terrorist attack against Serbia,” Dacic said. “We’re still talking about possible motives.”
He said one person was arrested near the scene of the shooting. Police are investigating a possible network and links with “foreign terrorist groups,” he added.
“There are indications that these are individuals already known to the security services,” Dacic said.
The police officer was conscious when he was taken to Belgrade’s main hospital and underwent surgery to remove the arrow from his neck. Hospital officials said he was in stable condition after the operation.
The Israeli embassy is located not far from the US embassy in a posh part of Belgrade. It is guarded by an elite police unit whose officers are equipped with automatic weapons.
Serbia maintained close relations with Israel during its war on Gaza. Israel-linked institutions around the world have been on high alert for attacks and protests since Israel launched its invasion in October.
In a statement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said the embassy in Belgrade remained closed and no employees were injured. It added that “the circumstances of the incident are under investigation.”
“Act of madness”
Serbian populist President Aleksandar Vucic visited the injured officer in hospital, promising a large-scale crackdown.
“We are tracking them. We will have no mercy for terrorism in Serbia,” Vucic said.
Investigators in white forensic gear surrounded the suspect’s body in the street in front of the building, which was crowded with police vehicles.
Dacic later said several people suspected of being linked to the incident had been arrested. “There are indications that they (those arrested) are already known to the security services,” he said.
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic strongly condemned what he called a “heinous terrorist act”.
“This is an act of madness that cannot be attributed to any religion or nation. It’s an individual crime,” he said, according to comments reported by the Beta news agency.
Vucevic pledged that his country would respond firmly to the “threat of terrorism” and stressed that Serbian citizens could “feel safe.”
