-
'Lucky' Sinner defeats big-hitting Berrettini to reach Wimbledon third round
-
Messi a doubt for Argentina ahead of Copa quarter-final
-
British tennis ace Raducanu votes for 'lie-in' on election day
-
France film director Jacquot charged with raping two actors
-
Israel 'evaluating' new Hamas 'ideas' on halting Gaza war
-
Venezuela, US agree to 'improve relations,' says Caracas
-
Under-fire Kenya govt says to review state salary hikes
-
Thousands told to flee raging California wildfire
-
Osaka focuses on Olympics after Wimbledon KO
-
Tens of thousands flee south Gaza as tensions soar
-
US Fed officials stressed 'patience' on rate cuts: minutes
-
Blond not bombs as Fognini learns to love Wimbledon
-
New lithium plant inaugurated in Argentina
-
Threads hits 175 mn users on first anniversary
-
French court says Netflix shark hit can keep streaming in copycat row
-
Comeback king 'Cav' to carry on doing the thing he loves
-
Alcaraz marches on at Wimbledon as Osaka returns to Centre Court
-
Biden under pressure as Democratic panic rises
-
Belarus frees 'some political prisoners': exiled opposition leader
-
Alcaraz coasts into Wimbledon third round
-
Cavendish makes Tour de France history with 35th stage win
-
Everton sign forward Ndiaye from Marseille
-
Bailed Indian opposition leader to return as chief minister
-
World's oldest artwork discovered in Indonesian cave
-
Toney urges England to kick on after Euros reprieve
-
Murray teams up with Raducanu in Wimbledon mixed doubles
-
Former England rugby coach Jack Rowell dies aged 87
-
Hurricane Beryl bears down on Jamaica
-
US trade deficit expands less than expected in May: govt
-
'The god took away my son': Indians grieve after deadly stampede
-
Moscow hit by heat not seen in over a century
-
US private hiring eases unexpectedly in June: ADP
-
Confident Kroos says Germany-Spain clash 'won't be my last game'
-
Paris bars to open 24h for Olympics opening ceremony
-
Putin, Xi vie for influence at Central Asian summit
-
Germany, Sweden arrest eight over Syria crimes against humanity
-
French giant Mpetshi Perricard joins Wimbledon heavy artillery
-
Two-time Major winner Langer to make 'emotional' European Tour bow
-
French PM urges united front to stop far-right takeover
-
Olympic silver medallist gymnast Poujade dies at 51
-
Bhole Baba: preacher at centre of Indian stampede disaster
-
Microsoft to invest 2.2 bn euros in Spain data centres
-
Showdowns, young guns and own goals as Euro 2024 head into quarter-finals
-
Russia advances in east, kills five in Dnipro strikes
-
France prosecutors request rape charges against film director
-
Schumacher blackmail suspects had 'family photos'
-
EU clears Lufthansa's proposed ITA Airways stake, with conditions
-
Indian World Cup winners head home after hurricane delay
-
120,000 'stolen' babies: Georgia's trafficking scandal
-
Only far right can win absolute majority, French PM warns
Crossbow attacker killed outside Israeli embassy in Belgrade
A Serbian police officer killed a man who shot him in the neck with a crossbow in front of the Israeli embassy in Belgrade on Saturday, in what the prime minister called a "terrorist act".
Police identified the assailant as being a "convert" to Islam, who was born in 1999 in the town of Mladenovac, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Belgrade.
The attack happened around 11:00 am (0900 GMT) on Saturday morning in the Serbian capital, when the attacker shot the officer who was on duty outside the Israeli embassy.
The wounded policeman shot the attacker "who died as a result of his injuries", said Interior Minister Ivica Dacic.
Authorities said some arrests had been made and a number of people known to the security services were suspected of being linked to the attack.
Police also said they were carrying out searches in a number of locations.
"There are several more persons that we are looking for, certainly for one who is on the territory of Serbia," President Aleksandar Vucic told reporters after visiting the wounded officer.
The attacker and his associates had been tracked by authorities before Saturday's attack but there was not enough evidence to arrest them, he added.
The officer, who underwent surgery in hospital, was in his guard booth when the attack happened.
According to authorities, the assailant had moved to live in Novi Pazar, which is a historical and political centre of the Bosniak Muslim minority in Serbia, and a centre of Islam in the country.
Dacic told reporters that there were early indications connecting the attack with people suspected of being linked to the Wahhabi movement -- an ultra-conservative branch of Islam that dominates in Saudi Arabia.
He said several people had been arrested for "prevention reasons" and that overall security had been stepped up in Belgrade. Special prosecutors had taken over the case, added Dacic.
- 'Terrorist act' -
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, according to quotes from the Beta news agency.
The prime minister said his country would firmly respond to the threat of terrorism and stressed Serbian citizens could "feel safe".
The Israeli foreign ministry called it an "attempted terrorist attack in the vicinity" of the country's embassy in Serbia.
"The embassy is closed and no employee of the embassy was injured", it said in a statement, saying the circumstances are still being investigated.
Israeli ambassador to Serbia Yahel Vilan on X voiced his gratitude to the wounded officer, "who courageously prevented the attack".
"I am convinced that the investigation by the competent authorities of this shameful attack will identify all responsible persons and further contribute to the preservation of Serbia as a safe country."
Meanwhile, Serbia's top Islamic cleric Senad Halitovic strongly condemned the attack and wished the wounded officer a quick recovery.
"Such crimes are against all religious teachings, especially the teachings of Islam. Today's crime is the work of a mindless individual," he said in a statement.
The Balkan nation has continued arms sales to Israel after the war in Gaza started with Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel, which claimed 1,195 lives, mostly of civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
The militants also seized hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza although the army says 42 are dead.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 37,834 people, also mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
A.Silveira--PC