More than 20 people were injured in the attack on a plane coming from Israel at Makhachkala airport in the Muslim-majority Russian Republic of Dagestan. 20 people were injured when hundreds of protesters raided an airport in Russia’s Dagestan region following the news that a plane coming from Israel would land at Makhachkala airport. Excited by the online uproar of the “Il Mattino del Dagestan” website, the crowd apparently gathered to prevent “Jewish refugees” from entering the country.
The incident took place on Sunday night in the Russian region, where the majority of citizens are Sunni Muslim: According to local sources, some 500 anti-riot police had to intervene to control about 1,500 demonstrators. The airport was quarantined: 20 people were injured and 60 people were arrested, according to local authorities. None of the passengers on the flight from Tel Aviv were injured.
The unrest followed several other anti-Israeli incidents in the North Caucasus: The Dagestan government said Monday it was tightening security measures across the republic, which is home to about 3 million people. Unrest in the region, where Russian security forces once battled an Islamic insurgency, could present another challenge for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Footage from Makhachkala airport showed protesters, mostly young people, waving Palestinian flags, breaking glass doors and running through the airport shouting “Allahu Akbar” or “God is greatest.”
Regional leaders from two other regions of the North Caucasus called for calm. A similar call was launched by the mufti, the Muslim religious leader of Dagestan, a mountainous region in the eastern North Caucasus that is home to at least 40 different ethnic groups.
Israel has called on Russian authorities to protect Israelis and Jews in their jurisdiction following the latest wave of violence against Israeli and Jewish targets. A Jewish center under construction in Nalchik, the capital of the neighboring Russian Kabardino-Balkaria Republic, was set on fire in recent days, emergency officials said.
Russia sought to maintain contacts with all parties involved in the Israel-Hamas conflict by inviting a delegation of Islamist militants to Moscow. The Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador on Sunday.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
