The beauty, the spy and the fake Irish passport

SECURITY concerns prompted the Government to consider a recall of more than two million Irish passports earlier this year – the same version of passport linked to an alleged Russian spy facing charges in the US.

The Passport Service considered recalling all passports issued before 2005 following the use of forged Irish travel documents in the assassination of a Hamas chief in Dubai last January.

But it ultimately decided against such a move because of the logistics and cost involved, according to a document obtained by the Irish Examiner.