Head of Moldovan General Police Inspectorate explains how incident occurred at Chisinau Airport
14:03 | 01.07.2023 Category: Social
Chisinau, 1 July /MOLDPRES/ - The intervention of the assault group in the case of the incident at the Chisinau International Airport lasted 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Everything happened in the waiting room, on the platform at the entrance into the Airport, till the phase of presenting the passports. The border policeman killed was taken aback, with an unexpected hit made against him. The attack operation lasted several seconds. The head of the General Police Inspectorate (IGP), Viorel Cernauteanu, and the acting Prosecutor General, Ion Munteanu, today unveiled details on the occurring of the attack.
Viorel Cernauteanu said that the person had arrived at the Airport by the Istanbul-Chisinau flight at 14:48. At 15:21, border policeman processed the attacker’s papers and informed him about the ban to enter Moldova and the person was isolated. ‘’The action itself of attack against the Border Police fellow took place at 17:13. Shots were fired both to the colleague of the Border Police and the one from the Airport. In the first two minutes, at 17:15, the first police crew of the Airport intervened. The colleagues exchanged shots with the attacker, evacuated the people from inside the Airport and ensured the perimeter of the Airport, in order not to allow other risky situations for citizens. At 17:18, special operations were launched, not only at the Airport, but on the entire territory of Moldova,’’ Viorel Cernauteanu noted.
The IGP head also said that, at 17:30, all documentation and reacting groups had arrived at the Airport. Also at that time, several crews of the ambulance and the heads of the law-enforcement institutions arrived on the spot. ‘’Starting from 17:30 till 17:50, two operations were carried out in parallel: the assault group documented and established the assault procedures for the headquarters of the Airport and, at the same time, the group of negotiators tried to hold talks with the concerned person, in order to establish certain things. He refused this. There was a statement that there was nobody alive inside. The assault group intervened. The duration of the intervention was 2 minutes and 30 seconds. During the intervention, the aggressor attacked the colleagues of the assault group. There were exchanges of shots and the person was wounded. The only person wounded following the intervention of the assault group was the attacker,’’ Cernauteanu noted.
Viorel Cernauteanu specified that no hostages had been taken during the operation.
Acting Prosecutor General Ion Munteanu said that the border policeman who had died was taken aback. ‘’The foreign citizen became aggressive in just half a second. The policeman was hit unexpectedly. He did not expect such a reaction. We can draw the conclusion that it is about a physically well-trained person,’’ the prosecutor said.
Two persons – a border policeman and an airport security employee, were shot dead by a foreign citizen at the Chisinau International Airport on 30 June, who had been banned from entering the country.