Armed offices stand guard near the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, after a man shot a policeman in the neck with a crossbow and died after the policeman returned fire Friday night. Photo by Andrej Cukic/EPA-EFE
June 29 (UPI) -- An attacker shot a police officer in the neck with a crossbow, and the officer shot and killed the attacker outside the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, on Friday night.
The police officer suffered life-threatening injuries with a bolt wound in the neck and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic called the incident a terrorist attack against Serbia that might have involved the Wahhabi movement of Islamist extremists.
"There are now all indications that the motives relate to terrorism," Dacic told reporters.
An Israeli Foreign Affairs spokesman called the matter an "attempted terrorist attack" and said the embassy is closed with no employees injured, the Washington Post reported.
The deadly incident occurred at about 11 p.m. local time when a man asked the officer about a museum, while standing near a small building.
The man opened a door to the building, pulled out a crossbow and shot the officer in the neck.
The officer returned fire, which struck the attacker, who died about half an hour later.
One man was arrested near the scene and others are being investigated for potential ties to foreign terrorist organizations, he added.
Dacic said special prosecutors have taken over the case.