WARSAW, March 23: Poland will shortly release three Pakistani men and a Ukrainian detained on Sunday over suspected terror activities after background checks proved them to be asylum seekers, police said on Tuesday.
One of the Pakistanis was detained by police after "acting suspiciously" near the central train station in Warsaw. Unable to provide any identification, he led the officers to his flat, where the others were found along with a suspect map.
Police, who had earlier said two Pakistanis and a Ukrainian were detained, believed the map included markings on key locations in Warsaw, including the airport, some embassies and a square near the Jewish theatre and the city's only synagogue.
But the markings were misinterpreted and actually referred to refugee centres, officials now say. "The Pakistani men and the Ukrainian will shortly be released...They are legally residing in Poland," Warsaw police spokesman Marcin Szyndler told Reuters.
Szyndler said one of the Pakistanis already has refugee status and the two others are in the process of obtaining their permits. The status of the Ukrainian was not immediately known.
"We did not find any evidence which would suggest that they might pose any terrorist threat or be associated with any terrorist group. The objects marked on the maps were the sites of refugee centres," Szyndler added. -Reuters
