Belgrade [Serbia], June 30 : An attacker who fired a crossbow and wounded a police officer guarding the Israeli embassy in Belgrade has been shot dead in what the Serbian officials described as a "terrorist attack against Serbia", reported Al Jazeera.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said that the officer was in a guardhouse and the attacker approached him several times, asking for the location of a museum, adding that he carried a bag from which, at one point, he pulled out the crossbow and shot the guard.
The police officer was hit in the neck with the arrow, however, he fired several shots at the attacker who later "died as a result of his injuries".
The identity of the assailant is still being determined, Al Jazeera reported.
"This is a terrorist attack against Serbia," Dacic said, adding, "We are still talking about possible motives."
He further said that one person was arrested near the scene of the shooting.
Moreover, police are investigating a possible network and ties with "foreign terrorist groups", he added.
"There are indications that those are individuals already known to the security services," Dacic said.
The policeman underwent an operation to remove the arrow from his neck.
Notably, he was conscious when he was transported to Belgrade's main hospital for the operation, reported Al Jazeera.
According to the hospital officials, he is now in stable condition after the surgery.
Israel's embassy is located not far from the United States embassy in an upscale Belgrade district. It is guarded by an elite police unit with officers armed with automatic weapons, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Serbia has maintained close relations with Israel during its war on Gaza. However, Israel-linked institutions around the world have been on high alert for attacks and protests since Israel launched its invasion in October.
The Israeli foreign ministry, in a statement, said that the embassy in Belgrade remains closed and no employees were injured, adding that the "circumstances of the incident are being investigated".
Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic visited the wounded officer in the hospital and vowed a sweeping crackdown on the attack, reported Al Jazeera.
"We are hunting them down. We will have no mercy for terrorism in Serbia," Vucic said.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said that later, several people believed to have been linked to the incident were also arrested.
"There are some indications they (those arrested) are already known to security services," he said.
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic strongly condemned what he labelled a "heinous terrorist act".
"This was an act of insanity, which cannot be attributed to any religion and any nation. It is a crime of an individual," he said, reported Al Jazeera, citing Beta news agency.
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