Pakistani man suspected of ISIS links arrested in Bangkok

A Pakistani man suspected of having links with the Islamic State (ISIS) has reportedly been arrested in Bangkok for allegedly producing fake passports for suspected transnational criminals, possibly including those joining a terror group.

Bangkok Post quoted a source as saying that the Pakistani man identified as Muhammad Iqbal, 51, was arrested by the immigration staff, police and the army in Phasi Charoen district of Bangkok on Sunday.

Four Indian passports and three Singaporean passports were found after a body search of Iqbal was carried out by the authorities.

Authorities found equipment used for making counterfeit documents and passports from his room during a search.

The source said Iqbal was being held by the authorities at an undisclosed location, and he has been charged with trading in counterfeit documents.

A probe into the matter has been initiated.

Reportedly, Thai authorities were also investigating with the help of Malaysian authorities, if Iqbal was also involved in making fake passports in 2016 and 2017 for militants from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and possibly Thailand who wanted to travel to join the ISIS terror group in the Middle East, Bangkok Post reported.