On Saturday morning, a Serbian police officer from the facility’s permanent security was shot with a crossbow in front of the Israeli embassy in Belgrade. In self-defense, the policeman opened fire on the assailant, who succumbed to his injuries.
The officer was taken to hospital with a neck injury, where he underwent surgery. His condition is stable. President Aleksandar Vucic visited the injured man and announced that he would be decorated after he left the hospital.
The head of the Serbian Interior Ministry said the attack was officially considered terrorism. The attacker, identified as Milosz Żujović, moved to Novi Pazar, a town in Sandžak in southern Serbia, after converting to Islam, where the majority of residents – according to the 2011 census – are Bosniaks.
Security measures have been stepped up in Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina
A police operation is currently underway in the city to search locations linked to the attack. Security measures have also been stepped up in Republika Srpska, an autonomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
President Vucic announced that Żujović belonged to a group known to security authorities, which was being monitored for suspected “connections with terrorism”. “We are currently looking for people connected to the attack. We know at least one person who shares the attacker’s views and is still in Serbian territory,” Vucic added.
The Islamic community in Serbia “strongly condemned the attack on the Serbian policeman.” “Islam strictly forbids violence against anyone, and from an Islamic point of view life represents a special sanctity that we are all obligated to protect and that we cannot threaten in any way,” said Senat Halidovic, the president of the community.