Professional Soldiers ® - Norway Arrests 3 Men In Terrorist Plot

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Richard :munchin

Norway Arrests 3 Men In Terrorist Plot
NYT, 8 Jul 2010

Police officials in Norway said on Thursday they had arrested three men suspected of having links to Al Qaeda in a terrorism conspiracy tied to plots in the United States and Britain.

A police official said the arrests took place on Thursday, with the men suspected of planning to use bombs made of peroxide that were both powerful and easily transported.

The official declined to be identified by name because he was not authorized to talk to a reporter.

News reports said the arrests came after counterterrorism agents maintained surveillance of the suspects for a year. The arrests were linked to a similar conspiracy in Manchester, England, where a man was arrested on Wednesday on an extradition warrant issued by the United States.

British prosecutors identified the man as Abid Naseer, 24, who appeared in court in London on Wednesday after the United States issued an arrest warrant linking him to the failed plot to bomb the New York City subway system last year. At the time, United States Attorney General Eric Holder called the conspiracy one of the most serious plots since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

In Britain, Mr. Naseer was accused of planning attacks on Manchester in the northwest of England and of communicating with leaders of Al Qaeda.

Janne Kristiansen of the Norwegian Police Security Services told a news conference on Thursday that the arrests had been prompted by fears that details of the investigation would become public.

“We were afraid evidence would be destroyed, because we knew that an international media organization was about to publish details of the case,” she said. “That made it urgent to make the arrests.”

She added, “‘We believe this group has had links to people abroad who can be linked to Al Qaeda, and to people who are involved in investigations in other countries, among others the United States and Britain.”

One of the men arrested was a 39-year-old Norwegian citizen of Chinese origin who belonged to the Muslim Uighur group, she said. Another was a 37-year-old Iraqi citizen who came to Norway in 1999 and has permanent residency.

The third man was a 31-year-old Uzbek citizen who also has permanent residency in Norway.

But, she said, despite the conspiracy, Norway faced only a low prospect of a terrorist attack. “The threat of terrorism in Norway is low and it is still low,” Reuters quoted Ms. Kristiansen as saying.

It was not clear if Norway had been chosen as a target or was part of a larger conspiracy. The Norwegian police said the men had been seized on suspicion of preparing terrorist activities.

Norway has a small contingent serving with the 46-nation United States-led coalition fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan and is one of several countries cited by Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden’s deputy, as potential targets for attack. In 2006, Norwegian newspapers reprinted Danish cartoons that angered Muslims by lampooning the Prophet Muhammad.

A statement from the office of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said prosecutors were still investigating the case against the three detainees and “the question of guilt has not yet been decided.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/wo...er=rss&emc=rss