Russians Storm Airport In Attempt To Attack Passengers Of Israeli Flight

A swarm of local residents in Makhachkala in the Russian Republic of Dagestan stormed an airport in the city in an attempt to attack any Jews and Israelis set to arrive on a "Red Wings" flight from Tel Aviv on Sunday, according to local media reports.

According to N12, the pilots were warned of the mob and rerouted the plane to land at a nearby airport. The rioters reached that one as well. The flight staff ordered the locking of all aircraft exits, while security forces closed the area off. Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia said all aircraft were diverted to other airports. A security source said that a small number of Israelis and Jews were secured in the airport, and were set to be evacuated to Moscow "at the earliest convenience."

As of 10:20pm Moscow time (19:20 GMT), Russia's aviation authority Rosaviatsia said on Sunday that all "unauthorized citizens" had been removed from Makhachkala airport, Reuters reported.

The Prime Minister’s Office, the Foreign Ministry, and the National Security Council are monitoring the situation, amd said that "Israel expects the Russian law enforcement authorities to protect the safety of all Israeli citizens and Jews wherever they may be and to act resolutely against the rioters and against the wild incitement directed against Jews and Israelis."

Footage reportedly from the scene shared on local Telegram channels showed a hoard of people, Muslim pro-Palestinians, chanting "Allahu Akbar" and stopping cars to check the documents of passengers, ensuring they were not Israeli or Jewish, carrying Palestinian flags. In one of the videos that circulated social media, a rioter can be heard saying: "We are here for the Jews, we came to kill them with knives and shoot at them."