Norway
Population: 5,52 millions (2023)
National Security Service: Politiets Sikkerhetstjeneste (PST)
National threat level: 3 "Medium" on a 5-step scale (Last update: November 14, 2024)
Last Islamist terrorist attack: 2022 Oslo shootings (June 25, 2022)
The rise of Islamism in Norway followed the same pattern than in the other Nordic countries with the arrival of radical militants from the Muslim world. Contrary to Sweden and Denmark, Tunisian militants do not seem to have played a significant role in the structuration of Norwegian Jihadist networks compared to their Algerian, Somali and Iraqi comrades who settled in Norway to collect funds and rally Muslims to their cause. The most notorious of those pioneers was undoubtedly Kurdish Mullah Krekar who came to Norway as a refugee in 1991 and founded in 2001 Ansar Al-Islam which developed close ties to Al-Qaeda. After "retiring" in 2003, Krekar founded Rawti Shax at the end of the 2000's which influence expands beyond the borders of Norway. Other terrorist organisations also had their share of agents and sympathizers. Such was the case for Al-Shabaab which reportedly managed to attract 30 Norwegian-Somalis to Somalia. As for the Muslim Brotherhood, its influence is marginal and just like Finland, local activities are mostly coordinated from the prominent Swedish wing.
Norwegian authorities gradually realized the threat of Islamism throughout a rocky awareness-raising process that ultimately headed them to brand radical Islam as the greatest national threat since 2014. In 2009 the so-called “Gaza riots” and in 2012, following the broadcast of the documentary "Innocence of Muslims" ridiculing Prophet Muhammad, hundreds of protesters have gathered in Oslo shouting slogans expressing their attachment to terrorist figures such as Ossama Ben Laden. Interestingly, a notorious homegrown terrorist network named Profetens Ummah (PU) was founded in Norway in 2011 by Norwegian-Pakistanis gangsters Ubaydullah Hussain and Arfan Bhatti. Back then, PU was deeply involved in the radicalization and the transfer of Norwegian foreign fighters to Jihadist fronts in Syria and Iraq and even swore allegiance to the Islamic State after the proclamation of the so-called Caliphate in 2014. 200 Norwegian citizens reportedly departed to Syria in the 2010's to settle in the Islamic State, yet muched returned since then. The repatriation of Norwegian nationals who joined armed goups in the Middle East was a thorny question for local authorities and stakeholders. However repatriations were carried out swiftly and the last one was recorded in March 2023.
Among the Nordic countries, Norway had the most painful experience of terrorism. In July 2011, Anders Breivik committed the Utøya massacre, killing 77 victims to promote Far-Right ideas. Besides, Norway is the only Nordic country that underwent an Islamist terrorist attack in the 2020's so far when Zaniar Matapour shot people in Oslo during a LGBTQ pride event in June 2022. As such, the Norwegian legislation had to be adaptated quite early and painfully in order to be able to address the growing threat of Islamist terrorism. Terrorist crimes are covered by Chapter 18 Sections 131-146 of the Criminal Code. Norwegian legislation is a relevant one regarding terrorism, and counterterrorism strategies were conceived and updated accordingly, thus granting more flexibility to authorities to stand up to Islamist terrorism. Mullah Krekar was ultimately expelled in March 2020, the returnees who came back to Norway have all been charged with terrorism and Matapour received the harshest verdict ever handed down by a Norwegian Court in July 2024 when he was sentenced to thirty years in prison. However, much efforts remain to be done in order to fill potential gaps since it was acknowledged that the 2022 Oslo shootings was partially attributable to a lack of communication between Norwegian security forces. Moreover, authorities expressed concerns in June 2024 over the notable and growing receptiveness of Youth towards violent narratives from Islamism and the Far-Right.
In the aftermath of the war in Gaza, Norwegian authorities kept a sharp lookout on the security landscape. Even though Norway has not been impacted as much as the Swedish and Danish neighbours by the dreadful context of the Middle East, the country is still exposed to the violent dynamics that may occur in the region in case of further escalation.