BERLIN
A senior Bavarian politician said on Tuesday that refugees with forged Syrian passports have disappeared in Germany and there are grounds for suspicion that they may have had contact with Islamic State militants, German media reported.
The minister spoke after top-selling daily Bild reported that about a dozen refugees were in Germany with false passports originating from the same place as those held by two Islamist militants involved in attacks in Paris on Nov. 13 which killed 130 people.
Bild cited government sources as saying the passports were stolen and had "the same forgery features" as those held by the two Paris attackers. It said German authorities did not know the current location of the individuals with these passports.
Joachim Herrmann, interior minister in the southern German state of Bavaria, was quoted by German media as confirming that German security services knew that some people had entered in October and November with passports with similar serial numbers to Syrian passports that had been stolen by IS.
"We know that because we made copies of these passports at the time," Die Welt and other media quoted Herrmann as saying, adding that two of the Paris attackers also had passports from a similar series.
"An initial suspicion that this could be about more people sent by IS is likely and must at least be cleared up," Herrmann was quoted as saying.
Unfortunately, it was unclear where the refugees in question were at the moment, he added.
About one million people have come to Germany seeking asylum this year alone, many fleeing war and poverty in countries such as Syria and Iraq. The attacks in Paris raised worries about Islamist militants entering Europe undetected.
The head of the EU's border agency warned this week that the large number of refugees entering Europe posed a security risk and civil war was making it harder to check the authenticity of Syrian passports.
Media have reported that IS militants have probably procured tens of thousands of real passports after taking control of local authorities in parts of Syria, Iraq and Libya and may also have seized machines to produce identity documents.
(Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
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Bavaria minister says refugees with false passports may have ISIS link
Publisher: Reuters
Story date: 22/12/2015
Language: English
Story date: 22/12/2015
Language: English
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