Serbian police are investigating a possible network and links with “foreign terrorist groups” following the crossbow attack on an Israeli embassy guard.
An attacker who fired a crossbow and injured a police officer guarding the Israeli embassy in Belgrade was shot and killed in what authorities described as a “terrorist attack against Serbia”.
The police officer was in a guardhouse and the attacker approached him several times asking for the location of a museum, said Interior Minister Ivica Dacic. He was carrying a bag from which, at one point, he took the crossbow and shot the guard.
The police officer was hit in the neck with an arrow and fired several shots at the attacker, who later “died as a result of his injuries”. The identity of the attacker is still being determined.
“This is a terrorist attack against Serbia,” Dacic said. “We are still talking about possible motives.”
He said one person was arrested near the scene of the shooting. Police are investigating a possible network and links to “foreign terrorist groups”, he added.
“There are indications that these are individuals already known to the security services,” said Dacic.
The officer was conscious when he was transported to Belgrade’s main hospital and underwent an operation to remove the arrow from his neck. Hospital officials said he is in stable condition after surgery.
The Israeli embassy is located not far from the United States embassy, in an upscale neighborhood of Belgrade. It is guarded by an elite police unit with officers armed with automatic weapons.
Serbia maintained close relations with Israel during the war in Gaza. Israel-linked institutions around the world have been on high alert against attacks and protests since Israel launched its invasion in October.
In a statement, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the embassy in Belgrade remains closed and that no employees were injured. It added that “the circumstances of the incident are being investigated.”
‘Act of insanity’
Serbia’s populist president, Aleksandar Vucic, visited the injured officer in hospital, promising a sweeping crackdown.
“We are hunting them. We will show no mercy for terrorism in Serbia,” Vucic said.
Investigators in white forensic suits surrounded the suspect’s body on the street in front of the building, which was lined with police vehicles.
Dacic later said that several people believed to be connected to the incident had been arrested. “There is some evidence that they [those arrested] they are already known to the security services,” he said.
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic strongly condemned what he called a “heinous terrorist act.”
“This was an act of insanity, which cannot be attributed to any religion or nation. It is a crime by an individual,” he said, according to quotes from the Beta news agency.
Vucevic promised that his country would respond firmly to the “threat of terrorism” and stressed that Serbian citizens could “feel safe”.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
