Rioters storm airport in Russia's Dagestan to kill Jews arriving from Tel Aviv – 60 arrested

A flight from Tel Aviv to the majority-Muslim Dagestan Republic in Russia was forced to redirect on Sunday, after Hamas supporters stormed the Makhachkala Uytash Airport.

Online videos showed hundreds of a rioters waving Palestinian flags and shouting “Allahu Akbar” as they roamed the airport terminal searching for Jews. 

Other videos showed rioters stopping cars near the airport, asking drivers if they were transporting Jews. 

“We came for the Jews – to kill them with a knife and shoot them,” a rioter said in one of the videos. 

According to Israel's Channel 12 news, the flight from Tel Aviv was redirected to another nearby airport, but another group of rioters gathered at that airport. 

In that incident, rioters could be see on video surrounding the plane on the tarmac outside the airport.

Flight crew were instructed to keep the doors closed until security personnel could gain control of the situation. 

BREAKING:

A lynch mob has stormed the airport in Dagestan, Russia to look for Jewish passengers after finding out that a plane from Tel Aviv is about to land.

They have also stopped police cars in front of the airport and are searching them for Jews.

What’s Putin doing?

🇷🇺🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/LgaiXaiDqJ

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 29, 2023

According to Carmel News, a news site in Israel that focuses on Russia and the former Soviet republics, rioters asked to see the passports of passengers, looking for Israelis and Jews. 

Airport police and security did not intervene, except to deny the rioters entry to certain areas of the airport. 

Videos posted online to Telegram and X (formerly Twitter) showed rioters throwing stones at security personnel and the airplane. 

In Khasavyurt, another city in Dagestan, rioters stormed a hotel after being told that Israelis were staying there. The rioters only departed after they discovered there were no Israelis at the hotel. 

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on Sunday evening, confirming that “Israel expects the Russian authorities to protect all Israeli citizens and all Jews, and to act decisively against the rioters and against incitement to violence against Jews and Israelis.” 

After several hours, Russian security forces finally arrived and began arresting rioters and clearing them from the runway and the airport, which was closed to further incoming and exiting flights. 

The Dagestan Republic government posted a statement on Telegram later in the evening stating: “The situation is under control, law enforcement is working at the scene.” 

Russia’s aviation agency Rossavitsia announced that the airport would remain closed until Nov. 6. 

According to Russian media reports, the rioters were prompted by posts on a local Telegram group to go to the airport after being told that “Jewish refugees” were trying to land in Dagestan. 

On Monday morning, the Dagestan Ministry of Interior announced that 60 people had been arrested in the riot so far, and that more than 150 others have been identified.