State of emergency briefly declared at Israel’s NY consulate; suspect detained
Security personnel feared individual loitering at building was wearing explosive belt; he wasn’t
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A state of emergency was declared at Israel’s New York Consulate Friday and a suspect was detained after arousing the suspicions of security personnel.
The consulate was closed off for two hours, with no one entering or leaving.
The suspect was apparently loitering around the building, and his appearance and strange behavior caused personnel to suspect he could be carrying an explosive belt. He was quickly detained by guards, and that possibility was eliminated.
The man was taken into custody by New York police.
A security alert was declared this morning in the Israeli Consulate General in New York. A suspect is now under NYPD custody. The staff is well. The morale is high. ????????
— Dani Dayan (@AmbDaniDayan) April 27, 2018
The same building also houses Israel’s UN Mission and its Defense Mission to the US.
Consul-General Danny Dayan tweeted: “A security alert was declared this morning in the Israeli Consulate General in New York. A suspect is now under NYPD custody. The staff is well. The morale is high”
In September the consulate was briefly closed on two occasions when envelopes with white powder were sent to the building along with a direct threat on the life of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The substance was eventually determined to be harmless.
Raphael Ahren contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.