Honduras Police Detain 5 Syrians Heading for US With Stolen Passports

Honduran police detained five Syrian nationals with stolen Greek passports who were attempting to reach the United States, media reported Wednesday, citing a police spokesman.

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — The group of Syrian men was held late on Tuesday in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa, local newspaper El Heraldo reported.

"Five Syrian nationals have been arrested and will be brought to our office for investigation. It is assumed that they brought false documents with them… the passports were stolen in Greece," police spokesman Anibal Baca said, as cited by the news outlet.

According to Baca, the suspects arrived in Honduras on different flights from Syria.

The suspects will face charges of falsifying documents and will be checked by Interpol, according to the police spokesman. Details of the case will be forwarded to Athens, Baca said, as cited by the media.

Baca added that the Honduran authorities are "on alert," in light of Friday’s attacks in France by the Islamic State (ISIL) jihadist militants, who have also threatened to attack the capital of the United States.

Large parts of Syria are occupied by the IS militant group. The extremists have announced attacks against Western countries that have conducted airstrikes on its positions.