Chișinău International Airport shooting
| 2023 Chișinău International Airport shooting | |
|---|---|
| File:Chisinau Airport.jpg Civilians entering the airport after it reopened following the end of the lockdown imposed because of the shooting | |
| Location | Chișinău International Airport, Chișinău, Moldova |
| Date | 30 June 2023 ~18:30 (EEST) |
Attack type | Shooting |
| Deaths | 3 (including the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 1 |
| Perpetrator | Rustam Ashurov |
On 30 June 2023, a Tajikistani citizen shot and killed two people and injured another at the Chișinău International Airport in Moldova after he was denied entry into the country.
Attack
A police source said that the passenger arrived from Istanbul, Turkey[1] and that he used firearms against the border guards. The Moldovan news website NewsMaker, citing unnamed officials, said a man took a gun from a border police officer after he was taken to a no-entry zone.[2] Another person, a passenger, was injured and hospitalized.[3] According to some reports, the perpetrator took hostages and hid in one of the rooms of the airport. A video from the scene showed passengers near the airport lying on the grass while the building was being evacuated.[4] At 18:30 local time (EEST), the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moldova reported that the man who staged the shooting had been detained.[5][2] The Moldovan Prosecutor-General later said he had been hospitalized after suffering serious injuries following intervention by Moldovan special forces.[1]
The Government of Moldova stated that all flights were delayed, and passengers were evacuated from the airport.[3] Additionally, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said that state institutions had been put on high alert and expressed condolences to the families and relatives of the victims, and also added that the shooter was a foreign citizen who was denied entry into the country by authorities for security reasons.[6]
Perpetrator
According to initial unconfirmed information, the perpetrator was a Russian citizen.[4][6] There were also claims that the perpetrator was a mercenary of the Wagner Group.[7] Later, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean stated that the attacker was a 43-year-old citizen of Tajikistan who had been banned from entering Moldova for security reasons.[3] Tajikistani authorities later identified him as Rustam Ashurov, a member of an "organised criminal group" that had kidnapped a bank executive in Dushanbe a week before.[1]
On July 3 at 22:35 local time, Rustam Ashurov died in the hospital.[8]
References
- ^ a b c "Two killed in Moldova airport shooting, gunman arrested". Aljazeera. 1 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Gunman kills two at Moldova's main airport before being arrested - police". Reuters. 30 June 2023. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ a b c "В Кишиневском аэропорту началась стрельба, людей эвакуируют из здания". РБК-Украина (in Russian). Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Moldova attack: Two dead as man opens fire inside Chisinau airport". BBC News. 30 June 2023. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "Пассажир открыл стрельбу в аэропорту Кишинева. Погибли два человека". Meduza (in Russian). Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Два человека погибли при стрельбе в аэропорту Кишинева – DW – 30.06.2023". dw.com (in Russian). Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "Alleged Wagner mercenary opens fire at airport in Moldova". Euromaidan Press. 30 June 2023.
- ^ Михалкина, Алина (3 July 2023). "Стрелок из Кишиневского аэропорта скончался в больнице". NewsMaker (in Russian). Retrieved 3 July 2023.