Two men in custody after attack outside Israeli embassy in Belgrade
After an attack with a crossbow on a policeman in front of the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, two men have been taken into custody. This was announced by the Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić on Sunday on the state radio RTS. It is "undisputed," he said, that the men are "members of the extremist Wahhabi movement." Wahhabism is an ultraconservative interpretation of Islam that prevails in Saudi Arabia.
The attacker shot a Serbian policeman, who was guarding the Israeli embassy, in the nape of the neck with a crossbow on Saturday. The officer was injured but was able to draw his weapon and shoot the attacker. The man was identified by the authorities as an Islam convert. The police spoke of a "targeted terrorist attack."
Searches have taken place at several locations in Serbia, dozens of people have been questioned, Dačić said. The Prosecution will determine whether they are connected to the crime, he added. "What is undisputed among all these people is that they are members of the Wahhabi extremist movement."
The police have since traced the movements of the attacker in Belgrade, where he arrived. The man had gone to a synagogue before the attack but was deterred by a high police presence, it was reported. After that, he went to the Israeli embassy.
Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz thanked the Serbian authorities for their "strong support and cooperation after the attempted terrorist attack." The Israeli ambassador to Serbia, Yahel Vilan, visited the injured policeman in the hospital on Sunday. The 34-year-old officer had a bolt removed from his neck during surgery. He is in stable condition, said a doctor.
The two men taken into custody are alleged to have been involved in the pre-trial detention due to their reported links to the attack on the Israeli embassy in Belgrade. The message from Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz highlighted the importance of the strong support and cooperation received from the Serbian authorities in dealing with this attack, which was identified as a targeted terrorist act associated with the extremist Wahhabi movement.
