Paris attacks: Police arrest man carrying same passport as one found near suicide bomber

Serbian police have arrested a man carrying a Syrian passport with the same details as one found near the body of one of the Paris suicide bombers, Serbian officials told the Guardian. The discovery has led to fears that terrorists have infiltrated the European union posing as refugees.

The passport has the same name and details – Ahmad Almohammad, who was aged 25 – but different photographs to the one found near the body of the attacker who detonated a suicide belt near the Stade de France on 13 November.

Serbian officials believe both passports are fake and are working with French investigators to trace their origin.

The passport found near the Paris attacker was used to gain entry to the Greek island of Leros on 7 October by someone claiming refugee status, then used to travel through Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia, before entering France. On 14 November, a different man with the same passport was arrested in a refugee camp in Presovo, Blic reported.

Serbian authorities told the Guardian they believed the passports were acquired on the border of Syria and Turkey.

After a picture of the passport found near the Paris attacker was published in Serbian media, some news outlets identified the man named as one of the Paris attackers, but Serbian officials have said they believe the document was fake. Investigations have found that fake Syrian passports can be bought in Turkey for as little as $2,000.

On 16 November, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that all of the attackers identified so far were European nationals.

"Let me underline, the profile of the terrorists so far identified tells us this is an internal threat," Mogherini said after a meeting with EU foreign ministers. "It is all EU citizens so far. This can change with the hours, but so far it is quite clear it is an issue of internal domestic security."

The discovery of the passport has sparked fears that Isis terrorists may have infiltrated Europe posing as refugees fleeing conflict in Syria, with French anti-immigration politician Marine le Pen calling for France to close its borders to refugees.