PST maintains their enhanced threat assessment

PST right-wing extremist terrorism spy indicted RussianNorwegian Police Security Service (PST) headquarters. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Since the beginning of April, PST has considered it likely that there may be attempted terrorist attacks against Norwegisan State. They still believe that.

“ISIL’s setbacks in Syria and Iraq have in no way impaired the organization’s intention to carry out terrorist attacks in the West.

ISIL and Al Qaeda continue to urge their followers in the West to conduct attacks on their country of residence, writes Police Security Service (PST) in a press release on Tuesday.

Extreme Islamism
There are extreme Islamists also in Norway , inside or outside organized communities, who sympathize with ISIL or al-Qaeda and who are looking at Norway as part of their enemy list, PST maintains.

In its assessment, PST writes that during the past six months, they have seen several examples of radicalization outside of known networks and environments. The new cases are reported from areas around the major cities and in environments PST lacks knowledge about.

At the same time, it is pointed out that the organized environments have declined and appear to be weakened due to legal proceedings and deaths, amongst other things.

Same threat since April
The security service’s assessment of the threat picture is done using ten probability words ranging from “Very likely” to “Very little reason to expect.”

The level of threat is said to be “Likely” , which is two levels below “Highly Probable.”

In April, the threat assessment was raised two levels from “possible” to “likely”. The upgrading occurred the day after a 17-year-old boy with Russian citizenship was arrested with an explosion device at Greenland in Oslo.

The PST has charged him with violation of the third paragraph of section 142 of the Criminal Code, which includes illegal dealing with explosive material.

The paragraph is under the chapter dealing with terrorist acts and terror related acts in the Criminal Justice section. The device consisted of lighter gas and splints, according to PST.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today

 

————