Serbian police said an attacker was shot dead after assaulting a guard with knives outside the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade early Wednesday.
Serbia's Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said authorities were treating the incident as a suspected “terrorist attack”, after an unidentified minor allegedly targeted a police officer with two knives.
"A minor whose identity has yet to be established... attacked a member of the police with two knives while shouting 'Allahu Akbar'," he said.
Following the incident, authorities raised the country's terror alert to its highest level and stepped up security at key locations.
"This means tighter security checks and an increased police presence at sensitive sites, including infrastructure facilities and places where large crowds gather," he said.
The officer was lightly wounded and shot the attacker dead in what Dacic described as “self-defense.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry also confirmed the attempted attack, saying the assailant was neutralised by local police.
"The attacker was neutralized by local police. No embassy personnel were injured, and the mission was closed at the time of the incident."
Dacic said Serbian security services had been monitoring the suspect, whom he described as a supporter of the Islamic State group.
According to him the attacker “kept the black flag in support of the Islamic State on his Instagram” account.
The attack comes days after Serbia's early parliamentary election on Sunday, which saw a youth-led movement defeat former President Aleksandar Vucic's long-dominant political camp following nearly two years of anti-government protests. However, Vucic and his allies remain in control of the police while a new government has yet to be formed.
The incident also follows Tuesday's parliamentary election in Israel.
