Bangkok : A Pakistani passport forger whose fakes may have been sold to Islamic State operatives has been arrested in Thailand, police said today, ending a career that helped people slip into Europe illegally. Mohammad Iqbal, 52, was arrested on January 14 in a Bangkok suburb in possession of Singaporean and Indian fake passports as well as plates and laminates to forge entry visas to France, Italy and Spain.
"He has worked on faking documents for a long time using Thailand as his base," Commander of the Immigration Bureau Lt-Gen Suttipong Vongpint told reporters in Bangkok. The arrest is the latest in a series of targeted operations against skilled passport forgers in Thailand as fears over security and immigration have compelled authorities to tackle a shadowy industry that has thrived in the kingdom for decades.
Iqbal, who is believed to have operated from Thailand for more than 10 years, was charged with falsifying passports, visa seals and trafficking of fake passports a few days after police seized him as he pulled into his Bangkok condo on a motorbike. Earlier this week defence minister Prawit Wongsuwan linked Iqbal to a group selling passports to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.
