Serbian officer shot with crossbow in front of Israeli embassy

A police officer was injured in a crossbow attack in front of the Israeli embassy in the Serbian capital Belgrade.

Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told reporters that the officer subsequently shot the attacker.

The attacker – a Serb, according to authorities – hit the policeman in the neck with an arrow, Mr Dacic said. The policeman, Milos Jevremovic, underwent surgery and is no longer in serious condition, authorities said.

Authorities described the attacker as a man who had converted to Islam and classified the attack as a “terrorist” attack.

Mr Dacic said the attacker approached a small building at the front of the Israeli embassy several times at around 11:00 a.m. (09:00 GMT), allegedly asking about a museum.

He then opened the door of the small building, pulled a crossbow from a bag and shot at the officer, Mr Dacic said. The officer returned fire and the attacker died about half an hour later.

Serbian authorities identified the attacker as Milos Zujovic, who was born in 1999 in the town of Mladenovac, about 48 kilometers from the capital, before moving to Novi Pazar – the cultural center of the Bosnian Muslim minority.

They said that after converting to Islam, he took the “religious name” Salahudin.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the embassy was closed at the time of the incident and no staff member was injured.

Mr Dacic said the case had been taken over by special prosecutors who subsequently declared the incident a “terrorist act”.

He then raised the red alert level for Serbia and ordered a stronger police presence around potential targets as well as searches in places where attacks were suspected.

Mr Dacic had previously stated that several people had been arrested as a precautionary measure.

While the Interior Minister suspected that the attack may have been part of a larger threat, Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic described it as “the crime of one individual”.

In a comment quoted by the Beta news agency, he described the incident as “an act of madness that cannot be attributed to any religion or nation.”

Mr Vucevic urged the public to “remain calm and not succumb to propaganda” that could encourage hate crimes.

Both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister described the incident as a “terrorist act.”

Dacic’s office later said that Igor Despotovic, also born in 1999 and from Belgrade, was arrested after allegedly being found to have “communicated with Zujovic on a daily basis.” It also said Despotovic was arrested two years ago for leading extremist groups on the internet. The case is still ongoing.

Serbian authorities said police are still looking for another person suspected of holding the same views as Zujovic and that it could take several days to locate and arrest that person.

According to AFP news agency, President Aleksandar Vucic told reporters that there were “several other people we are looking for.”

Mr Dacic said on Saturday afternoon that police operations were underway in several locations across the country.

Israeli Ambassador to Serbia, Yahel Vilan wrote on X/Twitter He said he was “deeply shocked” by the attack and thanked Mr Jevremovic, “who courageously prevented the attack.”

Meanwhile, Serbia’s top Islamic cleric, Senad Halitovic, condemned the attack. According to AFP, he said: “Such crimes violate all religious teachings, especially the teachings of Islam. Today’s crime is the work of a thoughtless individual.”

The incident in Belgrade is apparently not the first attempted attack on an Israeli embassy since October 7, when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel and Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

After visiting Mr Jevremovic in hospital, Mr Vucic said he was conscious and that his actions would be honoured once he was discharged.