Asylum seeker from Ethiopia revealed to be 29 after Coast Guard investigation in Helsinki

A 17-year-old asylum seeker who claimed to be Ethiopian has been revealed to actually be 29, according to an investigation by the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard. The individual approached a police patrol at Helsinki’s train station in early August, expressing his desire to seek asylum in Finland. He alleged that he was fleeing persecution and had traveled from Ethiopia to Finland via Germany with the help of a smuggler, using a false passport.

His asylum application was accepted, and he was placed in a group home with other unaccompanied minor asylum seekers. Due to his admission of having entered the country illegally through a smuggler, the police contacted the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard, which handles most cases of a similar nature.

The investigation revealed discrepancies in the man’s account. Contrary to what he reported to the police, he had flown alone from Warsaw, Poland, to Finland. He purchased his own plane ticket and made the reservation using his own personal details. The man held a long-term student visa for Poland, which had expired at the end of the previous year.

Although the man was interrogated, he denied the findings of the investigation. The case has now moved to the prosecution phase, with the individual suspected of registration offense and violations of border regulations.