Middle East News
Israeli airport undergoes double security alert for false alarms
Apr 26, 2007, 19:35 GMT
Jerusalem - Two scares at Israel's international Ben Gurion Airport Thursday led security officials to cancel all flights to Moscow for about an hour and declare a state of emergency.
In the first incident, several suspicious knives were found in a suitcase belonging to a passenger, causing security forces to go on high alert. The person was taken in for questioning.
Mickey Rosenthal, a police spokesman, said the man was part of a group of Russian performing artists and that he was 'trying to smuggle the knives out of the country.'
The man was later released and the plane was able to take off. The knives were confiscated by the police.
At the same time, but in an unrelated incident, a bomb squad was called after a passenger was seen running into a bathroom with a suspicious bag. Security officials later discovered the bag contained hashish.
The man was detained, officials said.
Israeli airports have very tight security, as terminals and planes have been targeted by Palestinian militants in the past.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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