2024 attack on the Israeli embassy in Belgrade

Lore & Background

The attack took place around 11:00 near a small building adjacent to the Israeli embassy in the wealthy Dedinje neighborhood. The perpetrator, Miloš Žujović, approached the building asking about a museum, then opened the door and fired a crossbow at the gendarme, wounding him in the neck. The gendarme returned fire, killing Žujović. Žujović was a local of Mladenovac who had converted to Islam and joined the Wahhabi movement, later moving to Novi Pazar with his wife from Plav, Montenegro. Prior to the attack, he recorded a video message for his wife referencing 'Israelis killing Muslims' and alluding to the Gaza war. The Islamic State later claimed responsibility through its newspaper al-Naba.

Reader's Guide

The attack is notable for its use of a crossbow as the weapon in a terrorist incident targeting an Israeli diplomatic mission. Serbian interior minister Ivica Dačić branded it a terrorist attack and raised the threat level to red. The same day, an alleged co-perpetrator, Igor Despotović, was arrested in Belgrade; he had long and continuous communication with Žujović and had been previously convicted for inciting terrorist attacks. In the following days, police arrested Kemal Begović from Novi Pazar and Haris Šund, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, suspected of connections with Islamic extremists. Islamic State symbols and a video message pledging allegiance to the organization were found among the arrested. On 4 July 2024, the Islamic State's newspaper al-Naba published its 450th issue taking credit for the attack, featuring an image of Žujović pledging allegiance and titling the release 'They are us and we are them'. The incident underscores the use of unconventional weapons in targeted attacks and the ongoing threat of Islamist extremism in the region.

Did You Know?

• The attacker used a crossbow, wounding a gendarme in the neck.
• The Islamic State claimed responsibility in its newspaper al-Naba on 4 July 2024.
• An alleged co-perpetrator, Igor Despotović, was arrested the same day and had been previously convicted for inciting terrorist attacks.