Palestinians in speeding truck penetrate airport security
Vehicle stopped, two men arrested at Ben Gurion; perpetrators claim they are car thieves; airport resumes normal functioning
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Two Palestinians in a speeding truck penetrated the first security barrier at Ben Gurion International Airport overnight Monday, prompting the initiation of emergency protocol and shutting down the airport for an hour.
Additional roadblocks were immediately deployed and, when the truck breached a second barrier — nearly hitting the guard stationed there — security personnel shot at the truck, eventually causing it to stop. The two Palestinian men were ordered out of the vehicle and arrested.
During an interrogation, the men, who hail from the West Bank cities of Jenin and Qalqilya, claimed that they were car thieves, and that they had just stolen the truck in the nearby town of Beit Dagan. They said that they entered the airport road by accident and panicked when they saw the Israeli security personnel.
A police sapper dispatched to the scene found no explosives on the truck or any other suspicious cargo.
Inbound and outbound flight traffic was stopped for a short time, but authorities reported at 5 am local time that the airport had resumed normal functioning.
The winding airport road that leads from Route 1 to the passenger terminals has several security checkpoints, both visible and invisible.
Heavy traffic persisted around the airport for several hours on Tuesday morning as a result of the incident.
The Times of Israel Community.