Young Iraqi asylum hopefuls are being baited online to Lithuania in what appears to be an organised network of Telegram encrypted messaging accounts.
A handful of these Telegram channels, subscribed to and seen by EUobserver, are luring people with false hope - given most will likely end up detained and possibly returned. One account with almost 26,000 members includes contacts for those who want to inquire about getting to Austria, Germany, Italy and Lithuania.
Another with more ...
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Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.