Le Bureau Central Nation’ (BCN) an organ of French Security has served notice on all member states of Interpol, including the Macedonian Republic, of a request for all members too agree to comply with specific requests for various checks from Databases that can be used in the French investigation relating to more possible perpetrators, organizers or facilitators in the recent terrorist attacks on Paris, said a spokesman for the Macedonian Ministry of the Interior (MOI) in answer to questions from “Meta” journalists.
Further responses to inquires, Meta was informed that there are, and will be ongoing checks through records of the Ministry of Interior (MOI), in an attempt to try and determine whether Syrian citizen Ahmed Almuhamed, named as a terrorist in the Paris attacks, who is assumed to have traveled through Macedonian territory in the recent refugee influx and was registered by Macedonian authorities at some point.
“The Ministry of the Interior has completed all necessary checks requested by French authorities, and have been promptly notified with our findings, Interior Ministry staff have checked whether the individual who is of interest to French authorities, entered the Macedonian Republic. Most of this checking procedure was manually completed for the sole reason many of those registered did so with identical names and similar initials”.
The MOI went on to add that the ” MOI is compiling a database of issued certificates for the expressed intention of requests for recognition to the right of asylum, information will include bio-metric data ( photograph and fingerprints) which re collected from any persons seeking to apply for the right to asylum”.
When pressed by Meta as to whether the security level in the northern and southern border areas had been raised, and whether there are adequate controls at entry and exit points used by migrants/refugees, and also, following the terrorist attacks on Paris, has Macedonia responded by implementing any other further controls to strengthen border controls where migrants/refugees pass, such as the transit centre in Gevgelija. In reply, Meta was told:
“The Ministry of the Interior, in addition to further enhanced security measures, has tightened control over the passage of migrants who gain entry into the Macedonian Republic, with special emphasis on the temporary transit centre in Gevgelija, along with northern and southern border areas cited when the recent state of emergency was declared.” said the letter from the Interior Ministry (MOI).
Macedonia has been challenged in some quarters as to whether it had been secretive on possessing information about the movements of the Paris bomber, who it now appears to have transited through Macedonia.
