Assailant killed after knife attack on police guard at Israeli Embassy in Belgrade

An assailant armed with a knife attacked a police guard outside the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, overnight into Wednesday, 28 October 2026. The assailant was shot dead by the guard, according to Serbia's interior minister. Deutsche Welle (DW) and the Associated Press (AP) both reported the attack. AP, citing Serbian police, said the assailant was killed just after midnight.

According to Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, as cited by DW, the guard shot the assailant dead. Dacic said the guard was slightly wounded.

According to DW, Dacic said police are treating the incident as a terrorist attack. He said the terrorism threat level had been raised to its highest level, "red alert". DW quoted him as saying: "This means tighter security checks and an increased police presence at sensitive sites, including infrastructure facilities and places where large crowds gather."

Israel's Foreign Ministry said no embassy personnel were injured and that the incident was being investigated, according to DW.

DW reported that the attack came days after an early parliamentary election in Serbia. It also came one day after Israel's parliamentary vote.

The same embassy was targeted in June 2024. In that attack, an attacker with a crossbow seriously wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the building. Police then shot and killed the attacker. According to DW, he was a 25-year-old convert to Islam from a village near Belgrade who had become radicalized.

What each side says

• Ivica Dacic, Serbian Interior Minister (according to DW): The attacker was a minor. Security agencies had monitored him as a supporter of the Islamic State group. He was thought to come from the western Serbian town of Sabac. DW quoted Dacic as saying the attacker "kept the black flag in support of the 'Islamic State' on his Instagram". Dacic said the assailant shouted "Allahu Akbar" during the attack and that the guard killed him in self-defense.
• Israel's Foreign Ministry (according to DW): It described the incident as an "attempted terrorist attack" near its embassy.
• Serbian police (according to AP): An unidentified assailant attacked a guard with knives and was killed.

What the reports do not include

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include the assailant's name or exact age. They do not independently verify his alleged Islamic State links, the monitoring by security agencies or the Instagram content. These details come only from Dacic. DW describes a knife, while AP refers to knives. The reports do not say whether the assailant acted alone, whether anyone was arrested, which body is leading the investigation, or how long the "red alert" will last. The reports also give no detail on the guard's injuries beyond Dacic's description.

Analysis

Both news agencies rely on official accounts. The details about the assailant's age, motive and alleged Islamic State sympathies come only from Serbia's interior minister and have not been independently verified. The outcome of the investigation may confirm, change or add to that account. Raising the threat level to "red alert" signals heightened caution, but the reports do not show whether officials see a wider threat or are taking a precautionary step. The 2024 crossbow attack at the same site may increase scrutiny of how diplomatic missions are protected. The timing after elections in both countries is a fact, but the reports do not link it to the motive.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.