WEILER-SIMMERBERG, Germany (AP) — Hungary forward Barnabás Varga has been released from hospital and is already back in his home country, two days after undergoing surgery on facial fractures he sustained in a collision at the European Championship.
Varga returned to Hungary on Wednesday as his teammates waited in Germany to find out if they have reached the round of 16 as one of the four best third-place teams. The 29-year-old will take no further part at Euro 2024.
His club Ferencváros posted a picture of Varga on X, formerly Twitter, with the caption: “Barnabás is back at home!”.
The injury occurred midway through the second half of Sunday’s match against Scotland when Varga collided with goalkeeper Angus Gunn. Hungary went on to win 1-0 thanks to a stoppage-time goal from substitute Kevin Csoboth.
In concerning scenes, the match was halted for nearly 10 minutes so that Varga could get treatment. Several teammates appeared to be in tears and they held up blankets to shield the stricken forward as medical staff tended to him.
Varga was taken straight to hospital in Stuttgart and had surgery on Monday after breaking several bones in his face.
Hungary coach Marco Rossi and some of his staff, as well as Ferencváros teammate Endre Botka — representing the national side — visited Varga in hospital on Tuesday.
AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024
Stewards hold a blanket to protect the privacy of Hungary's Barnabas Varga as he gets medical treatment after a collision during a Group A match between Scotland and Hungary at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Medical personnel treats Hungary's Barnabas Varga after he was injured during a Group A match between Scotland and Hungary at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Scotland's goalkeeper Angus Gunn, up, and Hungary's Barnabas Varga, center, collide during a Group A match between Scotland and Hungary at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Hungary's Barnabas Varga is carted off the pitch after an injury during a Group A match between Scotland and Hungary at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — An attacker with a crossbow wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade on Saturday, Serbia’s interior ministry said. The officer responded by fatally shooting the assailant.
Both Serbian and Israeli officials said that initial indications are that it was a terror-motivated attack.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said in a statement that the attacker fired a bolt at the officer, hitting him in the neck. He said the officer then "used a weapon in self-defense to shoot the attacker, who died as a result of his injuries.”
The policeman was conscious when he was transported to Belgrade's main emergency hospital, where an operation to remove the bolt from his neck will be performed, the statement added.
A spokesman with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “today there was an attempted terrorist attack in the vicinity of the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade.” The spokesman said the embassy is closed and no employee of the embassy was injured.
Dacic told reporters that “we are still talking about possible motives."
He added, however: “There are now all indications that the motives relate to terrorism. Because there is no other motive why someone would attack a gendarme outside the Israeli Embassy.”
He said one person was arrested near the scene of the shooting. Police are investigating a possible network and ties with foreign terrorist groups, he added.
“There are indications that those are individuals already known to the security services … the Wahhabi movement,” said Dacic, referring to the hard-line Islamist movement. “But this still has not been confirmed.”
The identity of the attacker was still being determined.
Authorities raised the security alert in Belgrade, including for foreign embassies and government buildings but also public places such as shopping malls and other busy areas.
Israel's embassy is located not far from the U.S. Embassy in an upscale Belgrade district. It is guarded by an elite police unit with officers armed with automatic weapons.
Serbia has maintained close relations with Israel during the war in Gaza.
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AP writer Jovana Gec contributed
Police officers on a street close to the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, June 29, 2024. An attacker with a crossbow wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade. Serbia’s interior ministry says the officer responded by fatally shooting the assailant. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)
Police officers work at a crime scene close to the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, June 29, 2024. An attacker with a crossbow wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade. Serbia’s interior ministry says the officer responded by fatally shooting the assailant. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)
Police officers work at a crime scene close to the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, June 29, 2024. An attacker with a crossbow wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade. Serbia’s interior ministry says the officer responded by fatally shooting the assailant. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)
Police officers work at a crime scene close to the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, June 29, 2024. An attacker with a crossbow wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade. Serbia’s interior ministry says the officer responded by fatally shooting the assailant. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)
Police officers block off traffic at an intersection close to the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, June 29, 2024. An attacker with a crossbow wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade. Serbia’s interior ministry says the officer responded by fatally shooting the assailant. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)
