Crossbow attacker killed in attack on Israeli embassy in Serbia | News on the Israel-Palestine conflict

Following the crossbow attack on a security guard at the Israeli embassy, ​​Serbian police are investigating a possible network and links to “foreign terrorist groups”.

An attacker who used a crossbow to wound a police officer guarding the Israeli embassy in Belgrade was shot dead in the incident that authorities described as a “terrorist attack against Serbia.”

The officer was in a guardhouse and was approached several times by the attacker to ask about the location of a museum, said Interior Minister Ivica Dacic. He had a bag with him, from which he eventually pulled out a crossbow and shot the security guard.

The police officer was hit in the neck by 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,” said Dacic. “We are still discussing possible motives.”

He said one person was arrested near the scene. Police are investigating a possible network and links to “foreign terrorist groups,” he added.

“There are indications that these are people who are already known to the security authorities,” said Dacic.

The policeman was conscious when he was taken to Belgrade’s main hospital, where he underwent surgery to remove the arrow from his neck. Hospital officials said his condition was stable after the operation.

The Israeli embassy is located not far from the US embassy in an upscale Belgrade district. It is guarded by an elite police unit whose officers are equipped with automatic weapons.

Serbia maintained close relations with Israel during the Gaza war, and since the start of the Israeli invasion in October, Israel-linked institutions around the world have been on high alert for attacks and protests.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the embassy in Belgrade remained closed and no staff members were injured, adding that the “circumstances of the incident are being investigated.”

“Act of madness”

Investigators in white forensic suits surrounded the suspect’s body on the street in front of the building, which was swarming with police vehicles.

Dacic added that several people suspected of being connected to the incident had been arrested.

“There are some indications that they (the arrested people) are already known to the security services,” said Dacic.

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic strongly condemned the incident, calling it a “heinous act of terrorism.”

“This was an act of madness that cannot be attributed to any religion or nation. It is the crime of an individual,” he said, according to quotes from the Beta news agency.

Vucevic promised that his country would decisively counter the “threat of terrorism” and stressed that Serbian citizens could “feel safe”.