MUMBAI, India — The security officer at the Israeli consulate in Mumbai was arrested by Indian police as he raced toward the Chabad House last Wednesday after Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg telephoned to say it was under attack.
The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem on Sunday confirmed that the officer had been intercepted en route to what he had hoped would be a rescue mission, but stressed that Israel had no complaints with Indian security personnel over the incident.
Israeli Consulate’s Mumbai Security Chief Was Arrested En Route to Chabad House Rescue
MUMBAI, India — The security officer at the Israeli consulate in Mumbai was arrested by Indian police as he raced toward the Chabad House last Wednesday after Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg telephoned to say it was under attack.
The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem on Sunday confirmed that the officer had been intercepted en route to what he had hoped would be a rescue mission, but stressed that Israel had no complaints with Indian security personnel over the incident.
“An armed foreigner was running toward them at a terrorist scene,” said a ministry official. “Of course they arrested him. What would you expect them to do?”
Indeed, The Jerusalem Post has been told that an individual jumped out of a window at the Chabad House early in the unfolding terror attack and ran toward the security guard, and he, too, was arrested by Indian police.
The Israeli consulate is located just a few streets away from the Chabad House.
The last known word from Chabad emissary Holtzberg, who was found dead in the building 60 hours later along with his wife Rivka and other victims, came in the phone call to the consulate in which he reported the attack.
The call was cut off in mid-conversation.
The security officer immediately raced to the Chabad House to try to help, but was stopped close to the building.
He was not carrying identification papers, the Post was told – perhaps, it is speculated, in case he himself fell into the hands of the terrorists. However, one Indian security official recognized him, the Post was told.
The security officer was released from jail a few hours after he was detained.
Joe
This is hashgacha pratis, Divine Providence. But if it is true, why would the Israeli “security chief” (what a joke!) be afraid of being captured by the bad guys?
Aren’t security personnel supposed to be confident and heroic?
If Only
Tragedy heaped upon tragedy
Surely they must have realized upon stopping him that he was from the Israeli Consulate
If only they’d let him go right away
but it’s foolish to say if only
if only
if only
Please Hashem bring Moshiach and end this misery
We beseach you
MICHELLE KVITAL and CHANIE CHAZAN
what did they do to deserve such a plague?
Im sure that they were holy people in hashems army.
May they rise to the gates of hashems sanctum and beg for the geula and we will reunite once again.AMEN!
Boruch ben Tvzi(A H)HaKohaine Hoffinger
B”H
Strange, seems like no one knows anybody else in Mumbai.
I heard that the police didn’t know the Chabad House was there, and the police didn’t know (Except for one cop) the security officers in the Israeli Consulate.
This is ‘intelligence?’ (Now all those individuals considers ‘unintelligent’ by others can take comfort.Even the ‘intelligent’ (At times?) are ‘unintelligent.’
Thank you MICHELLE KVITAL and CHANIE CHAZAN for stating your names. Wonderful sentiments!’