Man arrested in Romania’s capital after allegedly attacking Israeli embassy with Molotov cocktail

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A foreign national was arrested in the Romanian capital on Monday after allegedly attacking the entrance to the Israeli embassy with a Molotov cocktail, causing a small fire but leaving no casualties, local media and police reported.

A 34-year-old man was arrested by anti-terror officers from the Romanian secret service before police arrived at the scene, police in Bucharest said. The suspect is also said to have tried to set himself on fire.

Local media reported that the suspect is a Syrian national. A police spokesman told local news channel Digi24 that the incident was motivated by personal grievances and not by the international context of Israel’s ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli Embassy confirmed the incident in an official statement, saying that when security officers approached the suspect, “he took out a Molotov cocktail, lit it and threw it towards the entrance door to the lobby of the building.”

Israel’s ambassador to Romania, Reuven Azar, condemned the incident in a video message released on Monday, saying that “terrorism knows no borders” and describing the suspect as a “violent extremist” who was being interrogated by Romanian police.

“I want you to be reassured that we are safe, that we are intact,” he said, adding that neither Israel nor Romania “will surrender to terrorism.”

The embassy thanked Romanian security and police forces for their “quick and efficient response.” Police said investigations were underway to clarify the circumstances of the incident.