Israel’s Foreign Ministry is warning Israeli travelers to be sure to leave all their bullets at home, following the detainment of an Israeli in Azerbaijan who was found with bullets in her luggage.
Dalia Hadad, from Beersheva, told Kan Bet radio that five M-16 bullets found in her luggage when she arrived at Baku airport belonged to her daughter, who had used the luggage when she was in basic training in the Israel Defense Forces.
Hadad told interviewers that while she was detained and ordered to remain in the country, she was treated well by Azerbaijani authorities and not jailed for the entire three weeks of the authorities’ investigation.
In cases in which Israelis were discovered with bullets in Egypt, India and Thailand, the offenders were made to sit in jail.
Last year, 19 Israelis were detained abroad for inadvertently transporting loose bullets, typically in bags they used in the army.
Another Israeli, Elli Avraham, was also released from Azerbaijan in recent days, after being detained for more than two months for traveling with five bullets from his personal weapon in one of his bags.
In a statement, the foreign ministry noted “the importance of every traveler checking their bags carefully before going abroad,” and warned Israelis that being found with bullets could lead to detainment in foreign countries.