Chaos breaks out as US family bring an unexploded shell into Israel’s international airport.
Image source, Israel Airports Authority
A US family caused a bomb scare at Israel’s main international airport after presenting an unexploded artillery shell at a security check.
They had picked up the ordnance on a visit to the Israeli occupied Golan Heights, site of wars between Israel and Syria, according to authorities.
Video footage on social media showed people running from the scene in panic.
The family was allowed to board their flight after being interrogated by security, who gave the all-clear.
Israel captured most of the Golan Heights from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967 and remnants of the conflict can still be found in the area.
Hoping to bring the shell back to the US, the family packed it in their return luggage.
Video posted on social media by Israel’s public broadcasting corporation, Kan, showed people crouching and running from the scene at the check-in area at Ben Gurion airport on Thursday evening.
תיעוד: בהלה בנתב”ג בעקבות חשש מחפץ חשוד. לאחר בדיקות הוכרז על חזרה לשגרה@sharonidan pic.twitter.com/pOMLp3oaeC
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news)
Amid the chaos, a man injured himself falling over a luggage conveyor belt as he tried to escape and was taken to hospital, authorities said.
Ben Gurion airport, just outside Tel Aviv, is considered to have one of the highest levels of security in the world. Vehicles and travellers pass through security checks before they reach the terminal and check-in area.
Israel is also on high alert after a series of deadly attacks across the country in recent weeks.