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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Moldova attack: Two dead as man opens fire inside Chisinau airport | Moldova attack: Two dead as man opens fire inside Chisinau airport |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Chisinau International Airport is the largest and main airport in Moldova | Chisinau International Airport is the largest and main airport in Moldova |
| Two people have been killed after a man opened fire at Chisinau International Airport, the Moldovan Interior Ministry has said. | Two people have been killed after a man opened fire at Chisinau International Airport, the Moldovan Interior Ministry has said. |
| The gunman was wounded and has been detained, said police. | |
| Officials said the shooting had taken place after a foreign citizen was denied entry to the country. | |
| President Maia Sandu said the two dead were a border guard and an airport security official; a third person was wounded. | |
| Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said the suspect was a 43-year-old Tajikistan national. | |
| He had arrived from Turkey and was then refused entry, government press secretary Daniel Voda told Moldovan TV. | |
| While being taken to a special area at the airport, the man seized a gun from a border police officer and killed two people, Mr Voda explained. | |
| Videos from the scene showed passengers outside the airport on the grass, as the building was evacuated. | |
| Flights in and out of Chisinau airport, which is the country's largest, have been grounded. | Flights in and out of Chisinau airport, which is the country's largest, have been grounded. |
| Moldova has been on alert for months after President Sandu accused Russia of plotting to use foreign "saboteurs" to overthrow her pro-European Union government. | Moldova has been on alert for months after President Sandu accused Russia of plotting to use foreign "saboteurs" to overthrow her pro-European Union government. |
| Her warning in February came after 12 Serbian football fans were barred from entering the country through Chisinau airport. A group of boxers from Montenegro were also stopped at the airport and returned home. | |
| The Kremlin denied allegations of a plot, which Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said had been intercepted by Kyiv. | |
| Moldova has a population of 2.6 million people and became a candidate for EU membership last summer. | Moldova has a population of 2.6 million people and became a candidate for EU membership last summer. |
| It has been heavily exposed to the war in neighbouring Ukraine and faces tensions with its pro-Moscow breakaway region of Transnistria, where some 1,500 Russian soldiers are stationed. | It has been heavily exposed to the war in neighbouring Ukraine and faces tensions with its pro-Moscow breakaway region of Transnistria, where some 1,500 Russian soldiers are stationed. |
| President Sandu issued a statement on Friday offering condolences to the families of those killed, calling it "a sad day for all of us". | President Sandu issued a statement on Friday offering condolences to the families of those killed, calling it "a sad day for all of us". |
| She said state security forces were on high alert across the country. | She said state security forces were on high alert across the country. |
| Mr Voda added: "All measures have been taken to bring the situation back to normal. Law enforcers will continue to ensure security and public order at the airport." | |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Chisinau | Chisinau |
| Moldova | Moldova |