Mullah Krekar, the former Islamic guerrilla leader who faces deportation back to Iraq, has turned down offers of a secret identity and address even after being shot at last month.
Krekar and his family were put under police protection following the shooting, which police say they’re investigating as an attempted murder.
They have accepted an offer of a new flat in a city-owned building that police believe is more secure than Krekar’s earlier home, but Krekar said he wanted to remain in Oslo and in a neighborhood where he was familiar. “That’s his choice,” said a police spokesman.
Krekar, who has been deemed a threat to national security in Norway, will not be subject to any restrictions on his movements or communication.
Norwegian officials continue to negotiate his return to Iraq, but say they can’t deport him because of fears he’ll be sentenced to death once back in his native country.
Police said they had no clear motive for the attack on Krekar January 25. He has been a target of threats on the social media site Facebook.
Krekar is highly controversial because of his expressions of support for Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and because he came to Norway as a refugee in the early 1990s, violated the terms of his asylum status several times, has been branded as a terrorist by several countries and has been mostly living off the Norwegian taxpayers for years.
By Views and News staff
