Afghan dad and son held in custody after arriving in Dublin from Oslo without passports

Tom Tuite

Two men claiming to be a father and son from Afghanistan have been held in custody after arriving at Dublin Airport from Oslo, Norway, without passports.

The two men were arrested by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) officers on Friday at Terminal 1 arrivals at around 4pm and held pending their appearance before Judge David McHugh at Dublin District Court.

According to their charges, the pair, Pal and Mitesh Singh, are aged 67 and 18 respectively, and share the same birthday.

The two men, with no fixed addresses, face the same allegation under section 11 of the Immigration Act for not possessing valid passports or other equivalent documents establishing their identities. The offence can carry a 12-month sentence.

GNIB detective John Henry said that Pal Singh’s reply to his charge was, “I only need help”.

His colleague Detective Yang Meng said Mitesh Singh “made no reply” to charge.

The court heard the airport’s border management unit made the GNIB aware that Mitesh Singh had been a passenger who disembarked a plane from Oslo and “the accused was not in possession of valid travel documents.”

A Pashto-speaking interpreter was provided to them for legal consultations and to translate the court proceedings. They did not address the court.

Defence counsel Kevin McCrave said the defendants were not applying for bail at this stage. McHugh granted legal aid, remanded them in custody and directed medical attention in prison. They will appear again next week.