MOSCOW, Oct 30 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russia’s Makhachkala airport in the Dagestan Republic may be closed for more than a week after an angry mob looking for Israelis overran it Sunday, Russia’s aviation agency said.
“The airport in Makhachkala will be closed to receive aircraft … until, preliminarily, 02.59 Moscow time on November 6, 2023,” the agency said in a statement.
Russian law enforcement has “freed” Makhachkala airport in the Dagestan republic from a mob who stormed the building, looking for Israelis traveling from Tel Aviv, Russia’s aviation agency says.
The head of Russia’s Dagestan republic denounces the mob, vowing punishment.
“All Dagestanis empathize with the suffering of victims by the actions of unrighteous people and politicians and pray for peace in Palestine. But what happened at our airport is outrageous and should receive the appropriate assessment from law enforcement,” Sergei Melikov, the republic’s governor, says on Telegram. “This will be done.”
Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters stormed the airport in Russia’s predominantly Muslim Dagestan region on Sunday, where a plane from Israel had just arrived, forcing security forces to close the airport and remove the demonstrators.
Twenty people were injured before forces contained the protest at Makhachkala airport, local authorities said. The passengers on the plane were safe, security forces said.
The unrest followed several other anti-Israel incidents in North Caucasus sparked by Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The Dagestani government said early on Monday that it was strengthening security measures across the republic, which is home to about 3 million people.
The Russian Aviation Authority closed the airport until it completes security checks. There were no immediate reports of arrests, but Russia’s federal investigations agency ordered a criminal probe into the incident.
Sergei Melikov, the head of Dagestan, said the incident was a gross violation of the law, even as Dagestanis “empathize with the suffering of victims of the actions of unrighteous people and politicians, and pray for peace in Palestine”.
Regional leaders in two other areas of the northern Caucasus called for calm. A similar appeal was issued by Dagestan’s chief Muslim cleric, or mufti.
Russia has tried to maintain contact with all sides in the Israel-Hamas conflict, but has angered Israeli authorities by inviting a Hamas delegation to Moscow. Israel’s foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador on Sunday. — NNN-AGENCIES
