A Palestinian Authority Arab broke through a checkpoint at the entrance to Ben Gurion International Airport at around 01:15 am Thursday – but was captured and arrested by security forces.
The perpetrator, a resident of the Palestinian Authority capital of Ramallah, arrived at the airport after stealing a vehicle near Bat Yam, according to the Hebrew-language Ynet news outlet.
As he broke through the checkpoint and headed towards the gate leading to Petah Tikva, a security guard tried to stop him using another vehicle. The perpetrator tried to ram the guard, who in response fired a shot at the approaching vehicle.
The suspect fled on foot, leaving his vehicle at a gas station in the airport complex, and was captured in the bushes and arrested within minutes, according to the report.
All entrances and exits to the airport were immediately shut down at the start of the brief incident – but according to the Israel Airports Authority (IAA), there were no delays in takeoffs.
“The suspect was handed over to the security forces for investigation,” the IAA said. “The forces acted with determination and professionalism while exercising discretion in notable cooperation between security personnel and security police.”
IAA director-general Hagai Topolansky added, “We are proud of our forces… [and] will also conduct an operational investigation to learn the lessons [from the incident].”
