The man crossed the barrier in front of the police station and, after being ordered to stop, began to walk away in a hurry. Officers then caught up with him and searched him, police said in a statement.
“In his backpack were found a crossbow with seven arrows, several knives and a jar containing firecrackers. We are investigating his motives and a search of his apartment is underway,” the police detailed, specifying that the man is not “on the list of extremists.”
The man, according to police, claimed to be “pursued by the mafia and the secret services.” “A medical examination will be carried out and the prosecutor will decide what action to take,” Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said.
Serbia has been on alert since Saturday, following the attack in front of the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, where a police officer on duty was hit in the neck by a crossbow shot.
The latter responded with his weapon, fatally wounding the assailant.
Mr Dacic denounced a “hateful terrorist act”.
The attacker was identified by authorities as a “convert” to Islam born in 1999 in Serbia. His wife, who is currently in Montenegro, was questioned by police at Serbia’s request.
