Terrorists using fake passports 'biggest threat' facing world: Interpol head

London, Jan.29 (ANI): Fake passports are the biggest threat facing the international community, as fears are that extremists may use them for an easy passage.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Davos World Economic Forum, Interpol's secretary-general Ronald Noble expressed serious concerns over the use of fake passports by militants.

Noble said security devices put at airports across the globe were a misguided solution to travel threats, which was evident from the failed Christmas Day airline-bombing plot.

"The greatest threat in the world is that last year there were 500 million, half a billion, international air arrivals worldwide where travel documents were not compared against Interpol databases," The Express.co.uk quoted Noble, as saying.

"Right now in our database we have over 11 million stolen or lost passports.These passports are being used, fraudulently altered and are being given to terrorists, war criminals, drug traffickers, human traffickers," he added.

When asked about as to what could be done to prevent the misuse of the lost passports, the Interpol chief said the solution lies in better intelligence, and better intelligence sharing among countries.

"You don't know the motivation behind the person carrying the passport. If you're a terrorist, are you going to carry explosives that are going to be detected? No." Noble added.

He said the US authorities are recognising the threat of passport fraud.

"In 2006 they scanned the Interpol database about 2,000 times, while last year they did so 78 million times. They came up with 4,000 people travelling on stolen or lost passports," Noble added. (ANI)