On 29th October (local time), an armed Muslim mob stormed into the main airport in Russia’s Dagestan region, searching for Jews to kill. The incident took place minutes after a flight originating from Tel Aviv, Israel, landed at the airport in Makhachkala, the capital of Muslim-majority Dagestan. Out of the 3.2 million population in the region, around 83% are Muslims. Videos of the incident went viral on social media.
If you want to see how pogroms look, here is how
— Michael Elgort 🇺🇦✡️ (@just_whatever) October 29, 2023
A crowd in Mahachkala, Dagestan, Russia has breached into local airport & is searching for “Jews”
A violent mob chants “Allah Akbar” & breaks into rooms, police is scattered & airport officials are & scared pic.twitter.com/NMNIOzUymj
In one of the videos, a mob can be seen charging towards the plane and a flight attendant rushing the passengers back inside to ensure safety. Police were called to the scene to control the situation. As per Russian news, the mob at the airport was raising anti-Semitic slogans, chanting “Allah Hu Akbar” and holding Palestinian flags. The plane they tried to attack belonged to Red Wings, a Russian carrier.
A plane from Israel lands in Dagestan:
— Russian Market (@runews) October 29, 2023
The voice of the flight-attendant: Return into the plane immediately! https://t.co/ADzRxxwqMu pic.twitter.com/6g3IEAAiJf
The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem has released a statement that the Israeli ambassador in Moscow was working with the Russian authorities. The statement read, “The State of Israel views grave attempts to harm Israeli citizens and Jews anywhere.” The Foreign Ministry urged the Russian law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of Israelis and Jews. The statement read, “Israel expects the Russian law enforcement authorities to safeguard all Israeli citizens and Jews, whoever they may be, and to take robust action against the rioters and against the unbridled incitement being directed at Jews and Israelis.”
We condemn the violent protests that have been reported in Russia threatening Israelis and Jews. We call on Russian authorities to ensure their safety. The U.S. stands with Israel and the entire Jewish community as we see a surge in antisemitism throughout the world. There is no…
— Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt (@StateSEAS) October 29, 2023
As per Times of Israel, an eyewitness said around 50 men approached the airplane and asked if there were Jews among the passengers. The mob demanded to see the passport of the eyewitness, who had a Russian passport. Notably, there were Dagestani children on the plane who had undergone medical treatment in Israel.
Mobs in Dagestan, a Russian republic whose 3.2 million population is 83% Muslim, have stormed the airport after news spread that a plane has landed from Tel Aviv. They have spilled on to the tarmac and are moving from plane to plane in search of Jews to lynch.
— Anand Ranganathan (@ARanganathan72) October 29, 2023
Pray for Israel. pic.twitter.com/wfksaacndJ
The Muslim mob had responded to a call made on a Telegram channel to arrive at the airport to confront passengers coming from Israel. The messages in the Telegram channel called on rioters to “avenge Gaza”. The flight landed at Makhachkala Airport at around 7 PM (local time). The transit flight that was attacked by the Muslim mob was scheduled to take off for Moscow two hours after landing at the Makhachkala airport.
BREAKING:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 29, 2023
The lynch mob which stormed the airport in Dagestan, Russia to search for Jews as a plane was landing from Tel Aviv has found its first “suspected Jew”
He tells them he is Uzbek, but they don’t believe him
“Take his passport, search his phone” pic.twitter.com/9gKteyKFz0
Office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that “Israel expects the Russian authorities to protect all Israeli citizens and all Jews, and to act decisively against the rioters and against incitement to violence against Jews and Israelis.” Following the incident, the airport was closed for flights, and security forces arrived to maintain law and order.
Degastan is a Muslim-majority state in Russia. The Muslim insurgency has been a problem for both federal and local authorities for years as they have struggled to subdue the increasing number of Muslims in the region. There are Jews in the region, but most of them are concentrated in Derbent, which is located near the border with Azerbaijan. The situation in the region is so tense that the Israelis traveling at Degastani border crossings are kept apart from the general passenger population to ensure their safety.
Reports stated that the flight was later diverted to another airport, but the passengers faced a violent mob there too.
Israel Hamas War
On 7th October (local time), Hamas launched the worst terrorist attack on southern Israel, killing at least 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals, including children, the elderly and women. Over 200 people were taken hostage by the Hamas terrorists. Women were raped, children were killed in front of their parents, the elderly were shot dead point black in their homes, Israeli soldiers were killed, and the terrorists mutilated their bodies during the attack. Israel launched a counter-strike on Hamas. So far, around 8,000 lives have been lost in Israeli air strikes. Israel has warned the civilians multiple times to evacuate, but reports suggest that Hamas terrorists keeps stopping them. Meanwhile, India launched Operation Ajay to rescue Indians from Israel. On 30th October, the Israel-Hamas war entered its 23rd day.
