A Serbian police officer has been injured in a crossbow attack outside the Israeli embassy in the capital Belgrade.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told reporters that the police officer then shot dead the attacker.
Mr. Dacic said the attacker – who has not yet been identified by authorities – hit the police officer in the neck.
The police officer was taken to hospital for surgery to treat his injuries and is said to be in a life-threatening condition.
Serbian television station B92 quoted Mr Dacic as saying the attacker approached a small building in front of the Israeli embassy at around 11:00 (09:00 GMT), allegedly to ask about a museum.
The man then opened the door of the small building, pulled out his crossbow and shot the police, Mr. Dacic allegedly said. Police then returned fire and the attacker died about half an hour later.
Mr. Dacic said the case had been taken over by special prosecutors and several other people had been arrested as a precautionary measure.
While the Interior Minister said the attack could be part of a larger threat, Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic called it “the crime of an individual”.
According to comments quoted by Beta news agency, he described the incident as “a crazy act, which cannot be attributed to any religion or country”.
The Israeli foreign ministry said the embassy was closed at the time of the incident and no staff were injured.
The incident in Belgrade is not the first time someone has attempted to stage an attack on an Israeli embassy since the Gaza war that Israel began after a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7.
