Serbian police are investigating a possible network and links to 'foreign terrorist groups' following a crossbow attack on an Israeli embassy guard.
An attacker who fired a crossbow and wounded a police officer guarding the Israeli embassy in Belgrade was shot dead in what officials described as a “terrorist attack against Serbia.”
The agent was at the guard post and the attacker approached him several times and asked him where the museum was located, according to Interior Minister Ivica Dacic. He was carrying a bag from which, at one point, he pulled out the crossbow and shot the guard.
The police officer was hit in the neck with an arrow and fired several shots at the attacker, who later “died as a result of his injuries.” The identity of the attacker is still being determined.
“This is a terrorist attack against Serbia,” Dacic said. “We are still discussing possible motives.”
He added that one person was arrested near the scene of the shooting and that police are investigating a possible network and links to “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 is in stable condition after surgery.
The Israeli embassy is located not far from the US embassy, in an upmarket Belgrade district. It is guarded by an elite police unit with officers armed with automatic weapons.
Serbia has maintained close relations with Israel throughout its war in 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 indicated that the embassy in Belgrade remains closed and that no employees were injured. He added that “the circumstances of the incident are being investigated.”
'Act of madness'
Serbia's populist president, Aleksandar Vucic, visited the wounded officer in hospital and promised a radical crackdown.
“We are hunting them. We will have no mercy for terrorism in Serbia,” Vucic said.
Investigators in white forensic suits surrounded the suspect's body on the street in front of the building, which was lined with police vehicles.
Dacic said several people believed to be linked to the incident were later detained. “There are some indications that [those arrested] “They are already known to the security services,” he said.
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic strongly condemned what he called a “heinous terrorist act.”
“It was an act of madness, which cannot be attributed to any religion or any nation. It is a crime committed by an individual,” he said, according to the Beta news agency.
Vucevic promised that his country would respond firmly to the “threat of terrorism” and stressed that Serbian citizens could “feel safe.”
