Islamist militants will try to hit Scandinavia

Reuters:

A top Norwegian authority says that Islamist militants are operating in the Nordic countries, exploiting their open, liberal societies and will sooner or later launch an attack in Scandinavia.

"It's only a matter of time before we have a terrorist attack in Scandinavia; in Norway or Denmark or Sweden," Jørn Holme, head of the Police Security Service (PST), Norway's domestic intelligence service, told Reuters.

Al Qaeda named Norway as a potential target, alongside the United States, Britain, Australia and other countries, in 2003.

Norway, the world's third largest oil exporter, is a member of NATO and has troops and fighter jets in Afghanistan but did not back the US-led invasion of Iraq. In 1993 Norway brokered a peace deal between the Palestinians and Israel.

Extremists have previously planted members in Norway to help plan bomb attacks in Europe, Holme said during an interview at the PST's headquarters in Oslo.

"If our integration policy is not good enough, we will have home-made networks. It is very important that our politicians are aware of this," Holme said.

Scandinavia's reputation for liberalism and equality also attracts Muslim radicals who may view the Nordics as a safe, soft option, he said, adding that this reputation must change.

He described as incredible Norway's inability to expel an Iraqi Kurdish mullah who has links with extremist groups and whom the government has called a security risk.

An expulsion order against Mullah Krekar, former head of the radical Islamist group Ansar al-Islam, was originally issued in 2003 but he is still in Norway, taking advantage of a law forbidding the expulsion of anyone to a country where they might risk the death penalty.

"We need a more active system for handling these immigrant issues when the government has declared this person is a threat against our country," Holme said. "We should be able to say 'goodbye' without this long process."

Norway a terrorist target

Debate rages over Krekar in Norway