Angry mob storms Russia’s Dagestan airport hunting for Israeli passengers
This is the harrowing moment passengers at an airport in Russia’s Dagestanregion were encircled by a mob, reportedly searching for Jews arriving from Tel Aviv.
Footage circulating on social media showed a man pleading with a crowd in the capital Makhachkala for them to give him back his passport.
‘Are you trying to f*****g mess with us here, b***h?’ one of the men surrounding him can be heard shouting aggressively.
Follow our live blog for latest updates on the Israel-Hamas conflict
The video emerged after reports that hundreds of people stormed into the main airport in Dagestan and rushed onto the landing field.
They were all chanting anti-Semitic slogans and seeking passengers arriving on a flight from Israel, Russian news agencies and social media reported.
Dagestan’s Ministry of Health said more than 20 people were injured, with two in critical condition. It said the injured included police officers and civilians.
Footage showed the rioters, some of whom were waving Palestinian flags, running towards a Pobeda Airlines plane.
Others held placards denouncing Israel, reading ‘We are against Jewish refugees’, and shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ or ‘God is Greatest’.
The men were seen breaking down glass doors and even trying to topple over a patrol truck.
Some 60 people were later detained, RIA reported on Monday, adding that 150 of the protesters had been identified.
Authorities closed the airport for flights and police converged on the facility.
It appears the riot was inspired by a number of posts on Telegram, where users were told that a flight from Tel Aviv would be arriving that evening with refugees from Israel.
The unrest followed several other anti-Israel incidents in recent days in Russia’s North Caucasus region in response to Israel’s war against Hamas militants in Gaza.
The local Dagestani government said earlier that it was strengthening security measures across the republic, which is home to about 3 million people.
‘At present, the airport is fully under the control of law enforcement agencies,’ the ministry said.
Sergei Melikov, the head of Dagestan, said the incident was a gross violation of the law, even as Dagestanis ’empathise with the suffering of victims of the actions of unrighteous people and politicians, and pray for peace in Palestine’.
‘There is no courage in waiting as a mob for unarmed people who have not done anything forbidden,’ he said on Telegram.
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.
Meanwhile, Israel urged Russian authorities to protect Israelis and Jews in their jurisdictions.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.