Suspected car thief smashes through Ben Gurion Airport gate, sparking panic

Travelers at Ben Gurion Airport were ordered to lie on the terminal floor for several tense minutes early Thursday morning after a stolen car careened onto the airport grounds, setting off alarms.

In videos shared on social media, travelers in the baggage claim area were seen being told by authorities to get down on the floor of the terminal next to the baggage carousels, just next to the arrivals gate.

The warning was set off after a stolen vehicle crashed through the security checkpoints set up outside the airport.

According to the Ynet news site, the driver, a resident of Nablus, was arrested shortly afterward. Eyewitnesses said they heard gunshots, which were believed to be fired by security officials at the car.

The doors to the airport were also shut during the incident, and nobody was allowed to enter or exit as security officers pursued the vehicle in question.

Passengers reported that the event wrapped up quickly and things soon returned to normal in the terminal.

אירוע חריג בנתב"ג – תיעוד: נוסעים התבקשו להשתטח על הרצפה. כנראה מדובר בפריצת מחסום של גנב רכב פלסטיני@hadasgrinberg pic.twitter.com/5VEyteHHS8

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 30, 2023

“Out of nowhere security officers started running and said there was an emergency incident,” Avi Ifergan told the Ynet news site on Thursday. “We lay on the ground for about 15 minutes. It was very stressful and unpleasant. I understood that someone broke through the airport checkpoint, and they fired gunshots, probably at the tires.”

A number of similar incidents have occurred at the airport over the past year.

In December, a suspected Palestinian car thief crashed a stolen vehicle through a checkpoint at the airport entrance, before he was shot by guards who opened fire in response.

And in October, a suspected Palestinian car thief was arrested after doing the same thing, just a month after another Palestinian driver was also arrested for crashing a stolen car at an airport barrier.

Travelers inside the airport were also asked to lie on the floor of the terminal during those incidents.