Copyright ynetnews
Norway’s Police Security Service (PST) confirmed that it had foiled a terrorist plot on Norwegian soil. According to a report by the national broadcaster NRK, the plan was orchestrated by Islamist elements seeking to enlist minors. The scheme was uncovered months ago, but PST has declined to reveal details about the location or nature of the intended attack. While the target has not been officially confirmed, reports suggest it was aimed at Jewish or Israeli institutions in Oslo. PST refused to say who was behind the plot, but officials believe Iran was involved. In this case, we know of an actor who has been recruiting minors from criminal networks,” said Eirik Veum, a senior adviser at PST, in an interview with NRK. “We have an ongoing challenge with minors in Norway who are radicalized and recruited. This is also reflected in the daily work to clarify and prevent terror in Norway,” he said. According to NRK, those behind the plan are not Norwegian citizens and may be linked to an organization or a foreign state. Veum added that, “we see that people who have been involved in planned or thwarted terrorist actions against targets in Norway may have a connection here through residence or relationships, but there are also cases where there is no form of connection.” PST has linked the rise in youth radicalization in Norway to Hamas’s October 7 massacre. “The situation in Gaza contributes to radicalization — both in Norway and across Europe,” Wøhme said, adding that major terror organizations are exploiting the suffering in Gaza to recruit supporters for attacks in the West. “Islamist attacks mainly target random civilians, police, and security forces, but since October 7 there has been a significant rise in attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets in Western countries,” Veum explained. PST maintains a high alert level for such threats in Norway, which remains unchanged. While PST has not disclosed who recruited the minors, Brynjar Lia, a Middle East expert at the University of Oslo, said there has been a surge in Iran-related terror activity across Europe. In terror plots linked to Iran, minors have been recruited in at least one known case, Lia told NRK. This fits into a broader pattern where minors are appearing more frequently in criminal networks and jihadist cells across Europe. It’s not unlikely that Iran or networks tied to it were involved in the plot foiled in Norway, he added. Terror experts at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point have also warned about Hamas operations in Europe, including foiled plots in Denmark and Germany. NRK stressed there is no information linking Hamas to the Norway plot, though PST views Hamas as a security threat, in line with other Western intelligence agencies. Despite the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, Norway’s security service assesses that the terror threat from Islamist extremists remains unchanged. There are many factors that influence the terror threat beyond a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. We have no reason to believe it has had an immediate effect, Veum said. The report was first published by NRK, based on information from Norway’s security service. The newspaper Dagbladet also reported that the plot was thwarted over the summer. PST emphasized the need for continued international cooperation and intelligence-sharing to monitor evolving threats. Earlier this year, just before Rosh Hashanah, an explosion occurred in central Oslo between the Israeli Embassy and a synagogue. Police arrested a 13-year-old boy linked to the criminal group Foxtrot, which has been behind grenade attacks on Israeli embassies in Stockholm and Copenhagen. The group is known for using newly arrived migrants from Afghanistan and Syria, and for attempting to recruit orphaned children from welfare institutions.
