Number of people banned entry to Switzerland for security reasons more than triples

20 Minutes.

By the end of September this year, Switzerland’s Federal office of police (Fedpol), had banned 97 people from entering Switzerland, compared to 28 across the whole of 2015.

A spokesperson for Fedpol told the news service ATS that the rise was largely related to war and conflict in the middle east. Many of the bans have been applied to travelers suspected of having an intention to commit jihad.

These are people who have joined terrorist organisations, such as Islamic State, and want to come back to Europe. This does not necessarily mean they have already returned, said Fedpol spokesperson Lulzana Musliu.

These entry bans have been applied to those who represent a security threat to Switzerland. Swiss federal law allows bans ranging from a few days to perpetuity.

Reportedly, Fedpol used the same law to ban a singer from the German band “Flak”, with alleged right wing links, from entering Switzerland. Despite the ban, the German singer managed to slip over the border, making it to Kaltbrunn, where there was a Swiss nationalist party meeting on 22 October 2016, before being spotted by the police and escorted to the border.

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