A group of 33 passengers who arrived at the Allenby Bridge Border Crossing and presented Japanese passports did not clear border control Tuesday morning after a thorough examination revealed the passports were forged.
The incident comes on the eve of the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre, and less than a week after the attempted hijacking of the flydubai flight.
Border inspectors from the Population and Immigration Authority (PIBA) became suspicious of the group, which attempted to transit over the crossing from Jordan into Israel. After becoming suspicious, the inspectors transferred the group to professional officials for examination.
Further clarification revealed that the members of the group, which was made up of 27 men and six women, are all Chinese citizens.
Group using forged Japanese passports entered, exited Jordan on valid, legitimate Chinese passports, PIBA investigation finds
According to PIBA, the group entered and exited Jordan with Chinese passports, and only presented the forged Japanese passports upon attempting to cross into Israel.
Israel denied entry to the entire group, and authorities seized the forged passports for further examination.
PIBA said the incident demonstrates the professionalism of the border inspectors and the technology deployed at the crossings. According to PIBA, the systems flagged suspected forged documentation and allow for a thorough professional examination.
