A guard at Israel's embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, was attacked by a knife-wielding assailant early on Wednesday morning, according to Serbian police.
The attacker was killed at the site shortly after midnight.
Serbia's Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said that police had increased the terror threat level to "Red," the highest possible grade, and increased their presence at vulnerable locations, according to the Associated Press.
"A minor, so far unidentified... rushed at an officer of the Gendarmerie shouting 'Allahu Akbar' and attacked him with two knives," said Dacic.
The guard was lightly wounded.
Belgrade prosecutors describe the attack
In a statement, the Belgrade-based Higher Public Prosecution Office said that an investigation showed that a black-clad unidentified individual opened the door of a guard house in front of the embassy and, armed with two knives, rushed at the policeman, identified only by the initials D.S.
"The unidentified person threw one knife in the direction of D.S., hitting him in the left cheek. After that, D.S. took out his service weapon and fired several shots at the attacker, killing him on the spot," it said, adding that the policeman's action was qualified as justified and in self-defense.
The investigation was continuing, it said.
Suspect on security services' radar prior to attack, ISIS links suspected
Dacic noted that security services had been monitoring the suspect prior to the attack.
"Based on the information available to us so far, he was known as a supporter of the Islamic State. His Instagram profile featured a black flag and symbols associated with the organization," he said, according to the Associated Press.
Dacic added that he visited the injured officer in the hospital alongside Police Director Gen. Dragan Vasiljevic, noting that the officer is in good condition and expected to be discharged for home care later today.
This was the second attack at the Israeli embassy in Belgrade in two years. In June 2024, an assailant shot a Serbian police officer in the neck with a crossbow.
Israel's Foreign Ministry noted that "there were no casualties among embassy staff, as the diplomatic mission was closed at that hour of the night."