Border guards stop two Afghans attempting flight to Italy

Two Afghan citizens were detained at Kaunas Airport as they tried to board a flight to Pisa, Italy, using suspected forged identity cards, LRT reported, citing the State Border Guard Service (VSAT).

The men initially presented identity cards identifying them as Bulgarian and Greek citizens aged 25 and 28. Border guards suspected the cards were forged because their materials and printed details did not meet required standards, VSAT said.

The two struggled to communicate in English and could not fill in forms in Bulgarian or Greek. They later said they were Afghan citizens aged 22 and 21. Photos of Afghan passports on their phones supported their claims, according to VSAT.

The men had applied for asylum in Lithuania but left a migrant accommodation facility in Vilnius before the procedure was completed, the service said.

VSAT’s Vilnius Border Guard Unit has opened two pre-trial investigations into the possession of forged identity documents. The detainees are being held in a detention facility. The offence carries a fine, restriction of liberty or a prison sentence of up to four years.