11 migrants detained near Romania-Hungary border

BUCHAREST, Romania – Romanian border police say they have detained 11 Syrian and Iraqi migrants who are suspected of trying to illegally cross the border and reach the Schengen zone.

Police said in a statement Monday that a man with both Romanian and Hungarian citizenship is also being investigated for migrant smuggling.

The statement said that police noticed a car with Hungarian plates which stopped 500 metres (550 yards) from the border with Hungary on Saturday evening.

There were five Syrian and Iraqi citizens, aged 23 to 32, and six minors aged 1 to 10 in the car, travelling with temporary asylum-seeker documents.

They told border police they wanted to illegally cross the Romania-Hungary border to arrive in the visa-free Schengen zone. Hungary is a member of Schengen while Romania isn’t.