Terrorism Declared: Teen Attacker Fatally Shot Outside Israeli Embassy in Belgrade

A 16-year-old individual was fatally shot after launching an attack on a police officer stationed outside the Israeli embassy in Belgrade. Serbia's outgoing Interior Minister, Ivica Dacic, characterized the incident as a terrorist act. The unidentified teenager reportedly acted alone, wielding two knives and shouting "Allahu Akbar" as he assaulted the officer guarding the embassy early Wednesday. The injured officer, who sustained minor wounds, subsequently killed the attacker, according to Mr. Dacic. In response to the event, Serbia has elevated its security alert to the highest level.

Mr. Dacic indicated that while the attacker's identity remains unconfirmed, intelligence services had monitored him and identified him as a supporter of ISIS, citing his Instagram profile which featured symbols of the terrorist group. This incident follows a similar attack in June 2024, where another assailant used a crossbow to injure a guard outside the same embassy before being fatally shot by security personnel. Officials at that time described the earlier attacker as a local man with a hard-line interpretation of Islam, and the authorities officially declared that assault an act of terrorism.

The latest attack occurred just days after Serbia's long-serving President Aleksandar Vucic experienced an unexpected defeat in a general election, losing to a student-led movement, a significant political shift for the Balkan nation.