Immigration officials found something shocking on the phones of hundreds of Syrian refugees: photos depicting murdered children and grotesque executions.
Norway’s Police Immigration Service have been working around the clock to process the huge number of Syrian refugees–but, when searching their belongings and the cell phones when they crossed the border, they found the disgusting images.
The photos depicted ISIS flags, dead children, and other victims of war and terorrism.
Erik Haugland, head of Norway’s asylum program, pointed out that it’s a possibility that horrible photos were completely innocent–namely, that they were there in case the refugees were asked to prove why they were fleeing their home country.
However, it’s also an unspoken possibility that the images weren’t there for innocent reasons.
The massive influx of refugees into countries like Norway have led to heightened fears that ISIS agents might be infiltrating–posing as refugees in order to gain access to the European Union.
Those fears have only increased in recent weeks–after the terrorist attacks on Paris, which left 120 dead, as well as a slew of other minor crimes that have swept Europe.
Many citizens complain that their leaders aren’t doing enough to keep them safe–and aren’t doing enough to ensure that the Syrian refugees they’re letting onto the continent are actually refugees, and not ISIS agents.
The response from European leaders has been all across the board. In Hungary, for example, leaders have shut the borders and begun to construct a wall to keep out unwanted refugees.
Meanwhile, in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel recently received Time’s Person of the Year distinction, due to her calls for all European countries–including her own–to take more refugees.
In response, conservative, anti-immigration parties like France’s Front National have been quickly rising in polls–and could be swept into power in coming elections.
While the majority of refugees do have good intentions, it’s clear from recent attacks that it only takes a few terrorists to cause major damage to a Western country. And, based off new information that comes available, it’s clear that the tide may be turning against the onslaught of refugees.
