The state’s police bomb group was sent to the home of Justice Minister Tor Mikkel Wara during the weekend, after a threatening letter was found in his mailbox. It was the latest in a series of threats made at the minister’s home since late last year.
“The letter has been secured and we’re conducting a technical examination of it,” Tor Grøttum, operations leader for the Oslo Police District, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).
He wouldn’t divulge the contents of the letter, other than to say that “there’s no doubt” it should be viewed as threatening.
Grøttum said it wasn’t immediately clear whether the letter had been placed in Wara’s mailbox at home or whether it had been delivered with the rest of his family’s mail.
“We’re trying to find out how the letter arrived and we’re in contact with the justice minister and his family,” Grøttum told NRK.
He added that it was “natural” for the police to investigate the threat in connection with others lodged against Wara. His home and a family members’ car have been tagged with swastikas and misspelled words apparently meant to accuse Wara of being racist. Police also have found signs that someone tried to ignite his car’s gas tank, there’s been a suspicious fire near his home, and last month, police were summoned when flammable liquid was found to have been poured under a family member’s car.
The Wara family’s home was also videotaped for inclusion in an Oslo theater production that criticized political decision-makers. Wara, whose role puts him officially in charge of the state police and courts, has called the threats “an attack on democracy” but has otherwise mostly declined comment, claiming that he just wants to “let the police do their job” as they respond to and investigate the various threats.
newsinenglish.no/Nina Berglund
