Travelled from Norway and joined two extremist groups

ASKER.State Attorney Fredrik G. Ranke.Photo : Lise Åserud / NTB scanpix

A Chinese man living in Norway traveled to Syria and joined two different extremist groups according to the Police Security Service (PST).

The father in his 30s came to Norway for a family reunion, but according to the prosecution, he stayed in the country only shortly before he traveled to Syria as a foreign fighter reported NRK news.

The husband’s wife and children still live in Norway, while the man is expelled.

PST believes the man ws given arms training and participated in fighting in Syria for the two extremist groups, ETIP (East Turkestan Islamic Party) and later IS. ETIP consists of Muslim Uighurs from the Xinjiang region of China, also called Eastern Turkestan. The organization is considered part of al-Qaeda.

According to the indictment, the man was later engaged in IS, which, according to state lawyer, Frederik G. Ranke, can be punitive. The Chinese citizen is charged with participation and terrorist associations in the two organizations.

‘’We look seriously at the matter. That a person not only joins one group, but then later, after having time to think about it, goes straight back to Syria and joins IS. He joins the world’s worst organization, at the worst possible time in September 2014, while the Yazidis are being subjected to genocide and journalists are being massacred on a large scale’’ noted Ranke.

NRK has been in contact with the man’s defence lawyer, who stated that his client does not want him to speak to the press now.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today