Twenty injured in Dagestan after storming of airport by anti-Israel demonstrators

Twenty injured in Dagestan after storming of airport by anti-Israel demonstrators

Twenty people were injured when anti-Israel demonstrators stormed the international airport in the Dagestan city of Makhachkala on Sunday, AFP news agency reported based on information from local health authorities. Ten of the twenty injured have been taken to hospital, two are in serious condition. The injured include both police officers and civilians.

A group of hundreds of men stormed the airport looking for Israeli civilians after a plane from Israel landed there. They carried Palestinian flags and chanted anti-Semitic slogans. All Israelis and Jews on board have been brought to safety, according to Israeli media.

Russian aviation authorities say the airport will remain closed until November 6 and that a criminal investigation will be opened into the incident. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday evening that he expects the Russian authorities “to do everything they can to ensure the safety of Israeli citizens and Jews.”

According to international news agencies, pro-Palestinian demonstrators also stormed a hotel on Saturday looking for Jewish guests. The autonomous republic of Dagestan in the south of the Russian Federation is predominantly Muslim.