Police have detained sixteen Iraqi refugees who had given up their asylum status in the Czech Republic and were preparing to cross the Czech-German border illegally.
The group were part of a relocation project for 150 Iraqi Christians at risk who were due to settle in the Czech Republic. This is the second large group which tried to move to Germany just weeks after being granted asylum. The group was detained a few kilometers from the Czech-German border and confirmed their intention to make an illegal crossing.
The two drivers they hired are likely to be charged with people smuggling. The previous group of 25 refugees were detained on German soil and will shortly be returned to the Czech Republic.
The Czech government last week voted to cancel the relocation program.