BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) 鈥� An attacker with a crossbow wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade on Saturday, Serbia鈥檚 Interior Ministry said. The officer responded by fatally shooting the assailant.
Both Serbian and Israeli officials said initial indications pointed to terrorism as a motive.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said in a statement that the attacker fired a bolt at the officer, hitting him in the neck. He said the officer then "used a weapon in self-defense to shoot the attacker, who died as a result of his injuries.鈥�
The policeman was conscious when he was transported to Belgrade's main emergency hospital and underwent an operation to remove the bolt from his neck. Hospital officials said he was stable after surgery.
Serbia鈥檚 populist President Aleksandar Vucic visited the wounded officer in the hospital, promising a sweeping crackdown against 鈥渢errorists.鈥�
鈥淲e are hunting them down,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e will have no mercy for terrorism in Serbia.鈥�
A spokesman with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that 鈥渢oday there was an attempted terrorist attack in the vicinity of the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade.鈥� The spokesman said the embassy is closed and no employee of the embassy was injured.
Israel鈥檚 ambassador to Belgrade, Yahel Vilan, said he was deeply shocked 鈥渂y the terrorist attack鈥� in front of the embassy.
He expressed gratitude for the Serbian police officer 鈥渨ho courageously prevented the attack鈥� and said he is 鈥渃onvinced that the investigation by the competent authorities of this shameful attack will identify all responsible persons and further contribute to the preservation of Serbia as a safe country.鈥�
Minister Dacic told reporters that an investigation was ongoing, but 鈥渢here are now all indications that the motives relate to terrorism. Because there is no other motive why someone would attack a gendarme outside the Israeli Embassy.鈥�
Dacic identified the attacker as a 25-year-old Serb who converted to Islam. Police are investigating his possible network and ties with foreign terrorist groups after another person was arrested near the scene of the shooting, he added.
鈥淭here are indications that those are individuals already known to the security services 鈥� the Wahhabi movement,鈥� said Dacic, referring to the hard-line Islamist movement.
Authorities raised the security alert in Belgrade, including for foreign embassies and government buildings but also public places such as shopping malls and other busy areas.
Israel's embassy is located not far from the U.S. Embassy in an upscale Belgrade district. It is guarded by an elite police unit with officers armed with automatic weapons.
Serbia has maintained close relations with Israel during
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Associated Press writer Jovana Gec contributed to this report.
Dusan Stojanovic, The Associated Press
