UK Expects First Syrian Refugees as Part of Relocation Plan

A charter plane containing the refugees is expected to land at an unspecified time in Glasgow, Scotland, on Tuesday, according to the ITV broadcaster.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The first Syrian refugees to be transferred under Britain's resettlement program are expected to arrive in the United Kingdom Tuesday, local media reported.

The relocation comes days after the emergence of information of an alleged Syrian passport holder among several suicide bombers in the November 13 series of attacks in Paris.

The unconfirmed theory states that the bomber arrived in Europe from Syria in October and registered as an asylum seeker on the island of Leros. The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group claimed responsibility for the attack and the suspected mastermind of the massacres is thought to be in Syria.

Up to 26 US state governors have refused to accept refugees from Syria in the wake of the coordinated terrorist attacks that have left over 130 dead and over 350 injured.

UK Home Secretary Theresa May sought to alleviate reignited fears of potential extremists blending in with refugees over the weekend, stating that refugees undergo exhaustive background checks and are flown directly from camps outside of their war-torn country.

Although Britain is not part of the EU-wide refugee resettlement quota plan adopted earlier this year, Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to accept some 20,000 Syrian refugees on British soil.

Nearly 2.2 million Syrian refugees are temporarily living in neighboring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.