Liri Albag, an Israeli survivor of Hamas captivity, was unexpectedly detained for questioning on Thursday upon landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport, after U.S. passport control flagged her as still being held hostage, according to a report aired by Israel’s Channel 12.

Albag, who arrived in New York with friends for a much-needed vacation, was stopped by border officials who suspected she may have been an impostor. The reason: official systems still listed her as being in captivity.

According to her father, Eli Albag, who was also traveling abroad at the time, the ordeal began when his daughter’s phone was confiscated, and she was allowed a single call. “She called me, and then her mother, Shira, who immediately contacted the IDF and other authorities,” he told Channel 12.

For nearly an hour, Albag was questioned by officials before the Israeli Consulate in New York — despite being closed for Memorial Day — intervened to help secure her release. General Consul Ofir Akunis personally ensured she would be allowed into the country, the report noted.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)