Misguided car thief sets off security alert at Israeli airport

A passenger arrives to a terminal at Ben Gurion international airport REUTERS FILE PHOTO

JERUSALEM — A Palestinian car thief rammed through a checkpoint on the way to Israel’s main airport on Sunday, police said, setting off a security alert until he was caught after what authorities said was poor navigation on his part, not an attempted attack.

In the second such incident since September, video circulated on social media showed passengers in Ben Gurion Airport’s departure terminal crouching alongside their luggage as instructions sounded over loudspeakers.

Police said the suspect, a Palestinian in Israel illegally from the occupied West Bank, arrived at the airport checkpoint in a stolen car and forced his way toward the main terminal, leading to a brief pursuit in which he was shot and arrested.

As in the earlier incident, the suspect was believed to have taken a wrong turn off the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, Israeli officials said. That meant his attempted getaway brought him to one of the country’s most protected facilities.

“It happens almost every week,” a police spokesperson said.

Tensions are high amid a surge in street attacks in Israel and military raids in the West Bank. The violence has contributed to the rise of far-rightists likely to play significant roles in the incoming Israeli government.

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