Iraqis captured en route to U.S.

Iraqis captured en route to U.S.
Washington Times ^ | September 11, 2007 | Kelly Hearn

LIMA, Peru -- Ten Iraqi citizens with forged passports are in a Peruvian prison after an apparent bid to enter the United States on a flight to Los Angeles, officials here say...One of the men arrested is thought to have links to al Qaeda, said Peruvian National Police Col. Roberto Lujan...The plot unfolded June 21, when three Iraqis entered Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima attempting to board a flight to Los Angeles. Airline officials alerted police after two of the men holding Dutch passports could not speak Dutch. Citizens of the Netherlands are not required to hold a visa to enter the United States...

None of the three Iraqis arrested in the airport spoke Spanish. One gave police the name of a 40-year-old Spanish-speaking Iraqi citizen named Rafid Joboo Pati, the reputed leader. Police said the Iraqis entered Peru on May 11 and passed through the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Ecuador without authorities noticing that their documents were fake...

On July 17, police raided three apartments and arrested seven persons, including Mr. Pati. Mr. Pati confirmed that all of the suspects were Iraqis. Two had Dutch passports, two carried Ecuadoran identification and two held Iraqi passports, police said. Mr. Pati carried an Ecuadoran passport...

Interpol advised Peruvian police that two of the Dutch passports were reported stolen last year. "We have been told by Interpol that fingerprints of one of the men carrying a Dutch passport have been sent to Baghdad and is thought to have links to al Qaeda," Col. Lujan said...The suspects were not employed during their stay..."Someone was funding them but we do not know who yet," Col. Lujan said..."These people were not part of a group," he said. "Besides the brothers, they did not even know each other."

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