Shin Bet removes Russian-Israeli journalist from PM’s plane at last minute

Israeli-Russian freelance journalist Nick Kolyohin was removed by Shin Bet agents from the Wing of Zion plane this morning after boarding the aircraft for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s flight to Washington, Channel 12 reports.

Kolyohin says he had originally received approval from the Prime Minister’s Office to join the flight along with a slate of other journalists.

“If there are checks, do them in advance. Why at the last minute, and why without an explanation?” he tells Channel 12.

Kolyohin works as a contributor to the right-wing US TV station Newsmax as well as the Chinese news agency Xinhua, which has sparked suspicion from Hebrew media in recent years over the use of sponsored content and foreign political or state affiliations. The Seventh Eye media watchdog has accused Kolyohin — who previously worked for Israel’s Channel 10 TV station (now Channel 13) — of being paid to promote Russian interests, which he has vehemently denied.

Kolyohin tells Channel 12 that such allegations amount to defamation and that he is currently pursuing a civil legal process on the matter.

The Shin Bet says in a statement to the Hebrew network that: “In accordance with the agency’s mission and duties under the law, the agency is responsible, among other things, for the security of the prime minister. Within this framework, decisions are made in order to reduce risk to the prime minister and to the information in his surroundings. By their nature, it is not possible to comment on the reasons underlying specific decisions.”