Syrian Woman Arrested for Using Greek Passport in Costa Rica

SAN JOSE – Costa Rican police on Thursday arrested a Syrian woman who entered the country earlier this week on a stolen Greek passport, a case similar to the one that occurred this week in Honduras, where five Syrian men using Greek passports were taken into custody.

The arrest was carried out by the Public Force at a small San Jose hotel and the woman is being held while authorities investigating her case determine the legal and immigration implications.

The Syrian woman arrived in Costa Rica on Tuesday from Argentina and identified herself as Maria Pirri, a spokesman for the Public Security Ministry told EFE.

The spokesman said that the woman is being held while Interpol confirms her identity and determines if she has any criminal record or pending legal matters.

Costa Rican authorities confirmed that the Greek passport had been reported to be “lost” in Greece and that it had been altered with a photo of the Syrian woman.

The woman will face charges of using a false document, a crime for which she could face up to six years in prison, and at this time she is being held on the order of the Costa Rican Attorney General’s Office.

The AG’s Office will also determine if any immigration official facilitated her entry into the country, given that an Interpol alert had been put out on the passport in question, prosecutor Celso Gamboa told reporters.

Costa Rica is investigating whether or not the woman has any link with the case in Honduras, where two days ago five Syrian men were arrested in the Tegucigalpa airport carrying stolen Greek passports.

The Costa Rican Immigration Directorate confirmed that the five men had been in Costa Rica from Nov. 11-17.

The Honduran government said Thursday that the five men were intending to travel to the United States on the stolen Greek passports but do not have any links with terrorist groups.

Thousands of people have been fleeing from Syria since the civil war broke out there in 2011. That conflict has left over 250,000 people dead and 13 million refugees, according to UN figures