Serbian officer shot with crossbow outside embassy
A police officer was injured in a crossbow attack outside the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic informed reporters that the assailant, identified as Serbian national Milos Zujovic, shot the officer with an arrow, causing injury to his neck. In response, the officer, Milos Jevremovic, returned fire and fatally wounded the attacker.
Authorities disclosed that Zujovic, formerly from Mladenovac and later residing in Novi Pazar after converting to Islam, went by the name Salahudin. The incident, characterized as a “terrorist act” by officials, occurred when Zujovic approached a building near the embassy, retrieved a crossbow, and opened fire on the officer.
Following the attack, the Israeli embassy confirmed no staff were harmed as the embassy was closed at the time. The Serbian government, in response, heightened security measures, elevating the threat level to red and deploying additional police to potential target areas, along with conducting preemptive searches in suspected planning locations.
Earlier in the day, Mr Dacic said that 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”.
In comments quoted by the Beta news agency, he described the incident as “an act of insanity, which cannot be attributed to any religion and any nation”.
Mr Vucevic urged the public to “remain calm and not succumb to propaganda” that might encourage hate crimes.
Both the prime minister and interior minister characterized the incident as a “terrorist act”.
Mr Dacic’s office later said that Igor Despotovic, also born in 1999, from Belgrade, had been arrested after allegedly being found to have had “daily communication” with Zujovic. It also said Despotovic was arrested two years ago for running online extremist groups, in an ongoing case.
Serbian authorities said police were still searching for another person believed to harbor the same views as Zujovic, who may take several days to locate and arrest.
President Aleksandar Vucic told reporters that there were “several more persons that we are looking for”, according to the news agency AFP.
Mr Dacic said on Saturday afternoon that police operations were ongoing in several locations across the country.
Israeli ambassador to Serbia Yahel Vilan wrote on X/Twitter that he was “deeply shocked” by the attack, and thanked Mr. Jevremovic, “who courageously prevented the attack”.
Meanwhile, Serbia’s top Islamic cleric, Senad Halitovic, condemned the attack. According to AFP, he said: “Such crimes are against all religious teachings, especially the teachings of Islam. Today’s crime is the work of a mindless individual.”
The incident in Belgrade is not the first time someone has seemingly attempted to attack an Israeli embassy since 7 October, when Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, and Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in Gaza.
After visiting Mr. Jevremovic in the hospital, Mr. Vucic said that he was conscious and would be honored for his actions as soon as he is discharged.
