The Moldovan Interior Ministry has revealed that two individuals have tragically lost their lives following a shooting incident at Chisinau International Airport.
The gunman, who was subsequently apprehended, sustained injuries during the incident.
Authorities have stated that the shooting occurred after a foreign citizen was denied entry into the country. President Maia Sandu confirmed that the victims were a border guard and an airport security official, with a third person sustaining injuries.
The suspect, identified as a 43-year-old Tajikistan national, had arrived from Turkey but was refused entry. As he was being escorted to a designated area within the airport, he seized a firearm from a border police officer and carried out the deadly attack, as explained by government press secretary Daniel Voda during an interview with Moldovan TV.
Videos captured at the scene showed passengers gathered on the grass outside the airport while the building was being evacuated. Flights to and from Chisinau airport, the largest in Moldova, have been temporarily halted.
Moldova has remained on high alert following President Sandu’s allegations of a Russian plot to use foreign “saboteurs” to overthrow her pro-European Union government. These concerns were raised in February after 12 Serbian football fans were denied entry into the country through Chisinau airport.
Additionally, a group of boxers from Montenegro were also turned away. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in such a plot, which was intercepted by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky according to his statement.
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.
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.
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.”