ISRAEL: AN EL AL FLIGHT NUMBER 106 FROM LOS ANGELES HAS SAFELY LANDED AFTER POSTPONEMENT FOLLOWING GUN ATTACK AT LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Record ID: 400728

  • Title: ISRAEL: AN EL AL FLIGHT NUMBER 106 FROM LOS ANGELES HAS SAFELY LANDED AFTER POSTPONEMENT FOLLOWING GUN ATTACK AT LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
  • Date: 8th July 2002
  • Summary: (W1) BEN-GURION AIRPORT, NEAT TEL-AVIV, ISRAEL (JULY 6, 2002) (REUTERS) 1. SKV EL-AL AIRCRAFT ARRIVING AND TAXIING AT AIRPORT 0.18 2. MV PASSENGER SHAKING DIRECTOR GENERAL AMOS SHAPIRA'S HAND; PASSENGERS WALKING DOWN STAIRS; MV TWO CHILDREN WALKING OFF PLANE; MV MORE PASSENGERS ALIGHTING (5 SHOTS) 1.16 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ISRAELI PASSE
  • Embargoed: 23rd July 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Reuters ID: LVA32GZ8RYT8ERJAPXHYU7HKVDSX
  • Story Text: El Al flight number 106 from Los Angeles via Toronto
    has safely landed at Ben-Gurion international airport in
    Israel after the flight was postponed following an attack at
    Los Angeles International Airport where a gunman killed two
    people.

    EL AL flight 106 from Los Angeles via Toronto landed
    safely at Ben-Gurion airport early on Saturday (July 6) after
    the flight was postponed following an attack at Los Angeles
    International Airport where a gunman killed two people before
    being tackled by an unarmed El Al sky marshal at the El Al
    check-in counter.

    Passengers appeared relieved to have arrived in Israel.

    Many had many experiences to share after a flight which lasted
    roughly 10 hours. Upon landing several stopped to share their
    stories. One woman described her experience, saying: "I went
    back to the ElAl counter to ask a question about my luggage
    and then I saw this big person who was like five feet tall and
    all of a sudden he just turned around and pulled a pistol out
    of his suit. He was very well dressed and he just
    started shooting randomly at people and from the first shot my
    instinct was to run and hide."
    Another passenger said the presence of Israeli security
    forces had prevented a greater loss of life during the
    incident in Los Angeles. Another expressed sorrow for those
    who died in the incident and relief that the plane had arrived
    in Ben Gurion airport. He said: "I feel very satisfied - you
    know, the flight came back safe and all the passengers are
    here."
    The incident occurred amid a U.S. security alert on the
    first American independence day since the September 11 attacks
    in New York and Washington.

    El Al, plagued by Palestinian attacks in the 1970s, became
    the world's most security conscious airline with sky marshals,
    pre-boarding Interpol computer checks of ticket-holders and
    intensive questioning of passengers during check-in.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register