Police said in a statement that a Palestinian suspected car thief rammed a stolen car through a checkpoint at the entrance to Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday morning before being shot by guards in response.
This is the third such incident in as many weeks.
The suspect sustained minor injuries in the shooting and police said he will be questioned after receiving medical treatment.
Police said the suspect, who entered Israel illegally from the West Bank, stole a car from the country’s central region and drove toward the airport.
Guards at the airport noticed the car approaching at high speed before hitting the barrier and driving on the wrong side of the road.
Airport security responded by opening fire and placing roadblocks.
Police said the driver endangered the safety of guards and the general public.
Footage circulated on social media apparently showed passengers in the airport’s international terminal being asked to lie down on the floor during the accident.
Uncategorized department in Riyadh@employee
(אנחנו עושים מאמץ גדול לאתר את בעלי בצילום בצילום השימוש ביצירות שבעל הזכויות לא ידוע נעשה לפי סעיף 27 א לחוק יוצרים יוצרים. pic.twitter.com/FkgZWvpN4J– כאן חדשות (@kann_news) December 4, 2022
Ziv Hayat, who was in the terminal, told Channel 12 news that there was an initial panic when the incident began.
“We didn’t know exactly what happened so everyone ran in a panic and started screaming. There was a moment of hysteria and tension and everyone lay down. I was with a group of American tourists who didn’t understand what was happening, so I had to explain it to them.” The incident ended after 20 minutes. A minute, and we were told we could get up and carry on as normal.”
he was there Similar incident On October 23, when the airport was briefly closed while the suspect was at large.
Approximately identical incident On September 22, a Palestinian driver rammed a stolen car through a security barrier at Ben Gurion Airport, causing no injuries.