The Shin Bet security agency has reportedly demanded access to photos taken of people passing through Ben Gurion Airport and other border crossings, despite not being allowed to under the current law.

According to a Friday report in Haaretz, Shin Bet chief David Zini demanded the access in order to use facial recognition to identify potential criminals, after the government on Wednesday approved a new plan for the Shin Bet to fight rampant violent crime in the Arab Israeli sector.

However, Israeli law specifies that such photographs are only allowed to be accessed by the Population and Immigration Authority, which is required to delete the images after 90 days.

The agency is not allowed to transfer them to any other government bodies, including the Shin Bet. The photos are used within the agency’s biometric identification system.

Haaretz reported that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara warned Zini that allowing such access would require special legislation, after which Zini was said to have blamed her for rising crime rates.

The Shin Bet denied the report in a statement to Haaretz, calling it “baseless” and saying it “does not accord with reality.”

3 detained for acting unruly on plane, then assaulted officers

Separately, three Israelis were detained and removed from an airplane at Ben Gurion Airport after causing a disturbance, police said on Friday.

According to a police statement, airport police officers responded to a report from the flight crew of a foreign airline that was preparing to take off.

Three passengers were behaving in a........

© The Times of Israel