A Jewish Israeli soldier is demanding an apology from El Al Airlines, claiming he was humiliated by security staff at the Brussels airport because he has an Arab-sounding name.

Asaf Abudi flew to Belgium in November to represent Israel in a horseback-riding competition.

After spending five days in Belgium, he arrived at the airport for his return flight to Israel, where he says he was separated from the other passengers and treated rudely, and that some of the contents of his luggage went missing.

The soldier's father, Avi Abudi, told Haaretz he thinks the airline's personnel stepped up security for his son, who is Jewish, because of his Arab-sounding last name.

The soldier's lawyer, Lior Har-Zvi, wrote the airline following the incident stating that his client made it clear to airline personnel that he was an Israel Defense Forces soldier who was in the middle of his compulsory army service, and that he was representing Israel at a horseback-riding competition in Belgium.

Treated like a criminal

"Our client," the letter said, "was taken by your company's representative to an isolated area of the Brussels airport, and during the entire time he was held in the isolated area he was prevented from using the restroom, as if he was a dangerous detainee or someone accused of a serious crime."

The soldier said he was held in an area with two other passengers who were speaking Arabic, and that he was later led onto the plane by security personnel shortly before takeoff.

When he arrived in Israel, he said he discovered that some of his riding gear was missing.

El Al responded that, although it regrets any distress caused to the passenger, it conducts security arrangements according to procedures set by the Israeli government.

It added that any special scrutiny is based on professional criteria and is not meant to offend any particular passenger.

In Abudi's case, the airline added, procedure required that he be subjected to additional security measures as part of routine security sampling.