US denies citizen arrested in Turkey for selling passport to refugee is a diplomat

Photo: AA

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The İstanbul Security Directorate announced yesterday (December 22) that a US diplomat based in Lebanon had been remanded in custody for selling a fake passport to a refugee from Syria.

The arrest was made after a November 11 incident at İstanbul Airport when the refugee tried to use another person's passport to travel to Germany, said the directorate.

That passport belonged to the arrested person, identified with initials D.J.K., who the directorate said works at the US Consulate in Lebanon's capital Beirut.

The US State Department, however, said it was aware that a US citizen was arrested in Turkey but denied that he was a diplomat. He was being provided with the "appropriate consular services," it said.

According to the security camera footage, the two suspects met at the airport and changed their clothes there and that the US citizen gave the refugee the passport, the directorate further noted.

A body search of the US citizen found 10,000 dollars in an envelope and a passport in his name, the statement added.

The refugee is facing charges of forgery but was released pending trial, while the US citizen was remanded into custody. (PT/VK)