A police officer has been shot with a crossbow outside the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, Serbia.
The officer, who was taken to hospital due to the injuries suffered during the crossbow attack, had subsequently shot and killed the assailant, who was revealed to be Milos Zujovic, a Serbian Muslim convert, who, after converting to Islam, went by the „religious name” Salahudin, reports the BBC.
Officials have described the attack as „terrorist” in nature, and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said the attacker had approached a small building at the front of the Israeli embassy several times around at around 11 am, then opened the door to the small building, removed a crossbow from a bag and shot the officer. The officer then returned fire and the assailant died about half an hour later. According to authorities, the officer, Milos Jevremovic, underwent surgery and is no longer in a serious condition.
The Israeli foreign ministry said the embassy had been closed at the time of the incident and no employees had been injured. Israeli ambassador to Serbia Yahel Vilan wrote on X that he was „deeply shocked” by the attack, and thanked Mr Jevremovic, „who courageously prevented the attack“.
After prosecutors declared the incident a „terrorist act“, Mr Dacic had increased Serbia’s threat level to red – initiating a greater police presence around potential targets, as well as searches of locations where plotting is suspected. Several individuals had been arrested as a precautionary measure.
While the interior minister suggested the attack may have been part of a larger threat, Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic called it „a crime of an individual“.
Serbia’s top Islamic cleric, Senad Halitovic, condemned the attack, claiming that „such crimes are against all religious teachings, especially the teachings of Islam. Today’s crime is the work of a mindless individual.“
Since October 7, such incidents have increased all around the world.
Photo credit: Serbian government (via BBC)
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