http://www.thepost.ie/news/ireland/stolen-passports-were-issued-before-encryption-safeguards-47544.html By John Burke Public Affairs Correspondent The Sunday Business Post 21 February 2010 The five Irish passport numbers that were stolen by a team of hitmen who killed a senior Hamas figure in Dubai were all issued before 2005. Three of the Irish citizens whose passports were faked had never been to the Middle East. The revelation indicates that the assassins had targeted passport numbers which would not be on any travel databases in the Emirates, or in any neighbouring state with which the UAE shared visa data. Also, by using numbers that were issued prior to 2005, the passports would not include security enhancements that were added to Irish passports after that date, including biometric encryption and embedded images of the passport holder. It has also emerged that, in some of the cases, the gender of the bogus hit-squad member did not correspond with the gender of the real Irish citizen to whom the passport number belonged. The Department of Foreign Affairs has yet to speak to all of the genuine Irish passport holders but expects to do so in the coming days. Garda have opened an investigation into the case, but sources said they did not expect to travel to Dubai as part of the probe, which is primarily being led by the department. Senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was killed in the Emirates last month by a suspected 18-strong gang of assassins travelling under fake passports from Ireland, Britain, Germany and France. [...] ________________________________________ Did a friend send you this? From now on, be the first to find out! Subscribe to InfoSec News http://www.infosecnews.orgReceived on Sun Feb 21 2010 - 22:28:12 PST
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