Suspect for Paris terror attacks registered in Presevo

The passport was found after Friday’s attack on France’s national stadium, next to the body of one of three suicide bombers who blew themselves nearby. The terrorist group ISIS (also known as the Islamic State) has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

“One of the suspected terrorists, AA, who is of interest to the French security agencies, was registered on the Presevo border crossing on October 7 this year, where he formally sought asylum”, the Serbian interior ministry said in a statement. Human Rights Watch’s Emergency Director Peter Bouckaert said on Twitter the Syrian passport found may have been fake, adding such fake documents are widely available for sale in Turkey. “There was no Interpol arrest warrant issued for this person”, the ministry said. However, because a few European countries accept the refugee status of Syrians far more easily than that of those coming from other countries, the demand for illicit Syrian documentation among migrants and refugees from other countries has grown dramatically.

Most of those who enter countries on the so-called Balkan corridor for migrants – Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia – are registered with authorities.

The Serbian newspaper Blic gave the name of 25-year-old Ahmed Almuhamed, while Le Figaro disclosed another terrorist called Abbdulakbak B, who was born in 1990. But across the political landscape, caution intensified about vetting Syrian refugees and whether to allow them into the country at all. Syrian refugees have a better chance of getting asylum in Germany than those classified as economic migrants from Afghanistan, Iraq or Pakistan.

Tsipras yesterday insisted that the refugees fleeing Syria “are hunted by the same terrorists” that struck in Paris on Friday. The man, identified by Serbian authorities only by his initials A.A., came into Europe through the Greek island of Leros, where he was processed on October 3, Greek officials said on Saturday.

“It’s unfortunately a smart move for ISIS to do something like that, and this is where we have to be very aware of what ISIS is trying to do and how they’re trying to provoke us”, Hamid said.

Greek police are not ruling out that the Syrian passport changed hands before the attacks. The owner was not flagged as suspicious and then proceeded to Hungary and Austria.

The Paris attacks, which killed 129 people and wounded 352 others on Friday, were the worst assaults on French soil since World War II. The Seat appeared to be involved in the carnage at Paris bars and restaurants.