Jul. 24, 2014 (TSR) – Norway is on high alert after receiving a “concrete threat” from jihadists who participated with US-backed Syria terrorists intention to carry out a terror attack in the country ‘imminently’ and ‘within days’. The threat came a day after the three-year anniversary of the 2011 Breivik Shooting.
“The PST [Norway’s security police] recently received information that people with links to Islamic extremists in Syria may intend to carry out attacks against Norway,” PST chief Benedicte Bjørnland told a press conference in Oslo on Thursday. She added that the attack was planned to take place “within a few days from now.”
“The PST has warned several times that extremist Islamist groups in Syria intend to carry out terror attacks in Norway. We often receive such information, but often it turns out to be inaccurate. However, on this occasion our suspicions have been backed up,” she said.
“The resulting investigation we have carried out leads us to believe that this is credible, while unspecific. This is related to people who have participated in fighting in Syria,” she said.
“We have called in people from their holidays and want to work to confirm or disprove the information we have.”
Bjørnland added that further information would be limited out of respect for the security service’s sources. She added that the PST did not know who was behind the threat, nor where or how any attack might be carried out.
The PST said it was releasing the information in the hope of preventing the attack. Police are raising their alert level, said acting police director Vidar Refvik:
“People will mostly notice our increased level of alert through increased presence at border crossings, among other things. The police will be armed,” he said.
PM cancels summer holiday plans
City Hall closed
The Royal Palace in Oslo has cancelled all tours of the building until further notice. The move was decided by the Head of Court on Thursday.
Tickets pre-paid for tours will be refunded at the ticket office (billettservice.no).
Norway Chess Olympics under threat
The Chess Olympiad to be held in Tromsø – the world’s third biggest sports event and 181 nations scheduled to take part – said they have a “security plan” and are working with the Norwegian authorities and police, said organisers on their official Twitter account.
US puts Norwegian citizen on terror blacklist
The American government on Tuesday placed a Norwegian man on a terrorism blacklist for traveling to Yemen to join al-Qaeda. The move is in reaction to increased US fears of Europeans becoming involved in terrorism.
Anders Cameroon Ostensvig Dale, 35, was deemed a “specially designated global terrorist” by the US State Department. Any assets Dale had in US jurisdiction are now frozen and American citizens are forbidden to transact with the suspect.
US Secretary of State, John Kerry, said to NTB: “The Norwegian has committed, or is in a significant risk of committing, terror actions threatening the security of American citizens or national security, foreign politics or the economy of US.”
Reports suspected the Norwegian to have been in Yemen for terrorist training from al-Qaeda. The man supposedly learned how to make bombs.
Norwegian police chief, Siv Alsen, said to newspaper VG: “We know that [Dale] is listed on the US’s terror list, but we cannot comment about individual cases.”
Dale was born in Akershus and has Norwegian parents. In 2010 he married a muslim woman and became radicalized after converting to Islam. The couple are now divorced and have a child. The ex-wife claimed she has not heard from her former husband since December 2011, said newspaper VG.
