Moldovan police confirm 2 officers killed in incident at Chisinau Airport, attacker detained

CHISINAU. June 30 (Interfax) - The Moldovan Interior Ministry's press service has confirmed that two officers were killed in a shooting incident at Chisinau International Airport on Friday.

The attacker was apprehended by a special taskforce.

"We are saddened to inform the public that two Border Police officers have fallen victim to the attacker. They died in the line of duty. The authorities are working to normalize the situation in the airport area. The attacker will be brought to justice by law enforcement agencies that have opened a criminal case into the fact," it said.

As reported earlier, members of a special taskforce "neutralized" the foreign shooter.

The Interior Ministry said prosecutors started investigating the incident.

The airport's "commercial operations and flights are still suspended at the present time. During the intervention, the authorities took care of the safety of civilians in the dangerous zone. The country's leadership was immediately informed of the situation," it said.

As reported earlier, the detainee might have been a Russian citizen refusing to return to Turkey, where the Moldovan Border Police planned to deport him.

However, Prime Minister Dorin Recean said officially later that the shooter was a Tajik citizen.

Personnel and passengers were evacuated from the airport. All flights scheduled for June 30 were delayed.