Dutch govt. considers EU traveler registry after Berlin attack
The Dutch government is having discussions with Belgium, Germany and France about implementing a registry for people traveling on international buses, trains and boats, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Security and Justice said to the Volkskrant. This follows terror Anis Amri suspect fleeing through the Netherlands unchecked after he drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin on December 19th. The ultimate goal is to implement the registry for the entire EU, according to the newspaper.
The Netherlands is already working on a bill that will require identification when purchasing flight tickets. The ID information will then be stored in a Passenger Names Register (PNR), which can be analyzed for suspicious persons.
Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon prompted his neighboring countries to expand that flight passenger register to also include bus, train and boat passengers. He pointed out that Anis Amri, the man suspected of committing the Berlin attack, managed to travel through the Netherlands, Belgium and France before finally being caught in Milan.
It is believed that Amri traveled with German company FlixBus from Nijmegen to Amsterdam-Sloterdijk, where he took a bus to Lyon, with a stop in Paris.
Transport companies are already protesting against these plans, according to the Volkskrant. Rail companies in particular are worried about extra delays and that passengers' freedom of movement is being constrained.
