Norway’s police intelligence unit PST (Politiets sikkerhetstjeneste ) has found between five and 10 terrorists among every 1,000 refugees approved by the United Nations (UN) to be sent to Norway. Among them are young men and women recruited by both the brutal Islamic extremist group IS and rival terror organization Al Qaida.
Newspaper Dagbladet reported Monday that PST confirmed how IS and Al Qaida have tried to send terrorists to Norway, posing as refugees. PST has, during just two trips to the Middle East, been able to reveal that nearly 10 people selected by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for resettlement in Norway had ties to the two terrorist organizations.
“Unfortunately there are those who try to exploit and misuse the refugee institution,” Svein Erik Molstad, an officer at PST, told Dagbladet. PST’s background checks on the so-called “quota refugees” cleared by the UN to be sent to Norway revealed how some had ties to the terror groups Nusrafrontan and IS.
PST wouldn’t say exactly how the alleged refugees were revealed or what methods were used in the background checks. The security police unit said it could not rule out whether other terrorists have managed to secure residence in Norway.
The issue is especially critical at present, because all the political parties represented in the Norwegian Parliament are discussing how many more refugees Norway will accept from Syria. A majority are calling for 10,000.
Around 5,000 refugees already in Norway are still stuck in asylum centers, awaiting housing, however, and the government has all but proven that 10,000 more is unrealistic, since local governments claim they can’t accommodate anywhere near so many. Negotiations continue, with a decision due later this month.
newsinenglish.no staff
