Israeli Flies to New York With Pistol in His Carry-On Luggage

The Israel Airports Authority said Monday that it was investigating a breach in security at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv in which a passenger flew to New York with a pistol packed in his hand luggage.

The Israeli man realized he had been carrying the gun in his carry-on luggage when he arrived in New York over the weekend. He immediately informed Israeli officials of the security breach, an Israel Airports Authority spokesman said.

“We are carrying out an internal inquiry,” the spokesman said. “The main thing is to find out whether it was a human failure or a technical failure. We hope to get an answer. . . . It’s worrying us.”

The spokesman declined to name the airline involved. But security at Ben Gurion airport, which is usually regarded as extremely rigorous, is the responsibility of the Airports Authority rather than individual airlines.

“When he arrived at the hotel, he started to sweat when he found his personal handgun in his luggage,” the spokesman said. “He went right away to the [Israeli] Consulate [in New York].”