The Islamic State in possession of "tens of thousands" of blank passports
Berlin (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Islamic State (IS) has come into possession of "tens of thousands" of blank passports, which it can use to smuggle fighters into Europe as refugees, according to the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, which cites Western intelligence sources. The reports claim that Daesh [Arabic acronym for the IS] stole the documents in the territories - Syria, Iraq, Libya - under its control.
These passports can be used to smuggle suicide bomber and militants across the borders of the European Union as asylum seekers.
The IS has already launched an operation of falsification of documents, which are then sold on the black market to a value of 1500 euro. In this regard, the European authorities have long sounded the alert for possible threats from alleged refugees traveling on false documents.
Two of the unidentified attackers involved in the attack on the Stade de France on the night of 13 November, used two fake passports in order to enter Europe. "The mass of people who travel to Europe without controls is a security risk," said Fabrice Light, head of Frontex, the EU agency responsible for border checks.
In particular, the issuance of documents in countries ravaged by war (like Syria) and where conditions are chaotic, means that no one can guarantee the real authenticity of travel documents.
These concerns are also shared by the registrars of the various European countries. The fear is that "common criminals, war criminals, members of terrorist groups or individuals with visions fanatical and extremist views" can easily slip through EU borders.
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