The World - News from Dec. 5, 1986

The United States has further tightened visa requirements for travelers using Syrian passports because of alleged Syrian links to terrorist attacks. State Department spokesman Charles Redman said that no visas will be issued to holders of so-called service passports, often used by travelers on Syrian government business. Two weeks ago, the State Department instituted more thorough checks for Syrian visa applicants. This new move, he said, is the “result of evidence that the Syrian government has been issuing service passports to non-Syrians, who have conducted terrorist attacks in Europe,” a reference to Nezar Hindawi, a Jordanian convicted in London of plotting to bomb an Israeli airliner.