Norway attacks: what happened and the implications (new title)

[AdamG]

Moderator's Note: Original thread title was 'Oslo explosion: dozens injured, buildings damaged after Norway city blast' and amended next day.

A massive explosion rocked central Oslo on Friday, injuring dozens of people and severely damaging government buildings including the Prime Minister’s office.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...ity-blast.html

[J Wolfsberger]

Possibly multiple blasts.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe...ion/index.html

[AdamG]

The Norwegian police have detained one man who is believed to have shot at a youth camp of the Labor Party on the island of Utoya 50 km away from Oslo after the capital was rattled by a bomb attack.

The man is said to have been dressed and to have opened fire with a machine gun; his arrest has not been confirmed by the police.

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=130504

[davidbfpo]

Two analysts comment on the bombing, without assigning blame: Starts

The targeting of Norway should not be a surprise. In 2003, Al Qaeda --- through its current leader, Ayman Al-Zawahiri --- first threatened Norway, possibly because of the involvement of Norwegian special forces in Afghanistan. Since then, the Norwegian role in Afghanistan has expanded, although its troops are to be withdrawn later this year.

Ends:

Whatever the cause of the explosion, the attack will have widespread ramifications in terms of Norway’s security policies, domestic politics, and in relation to broader European security issues. If Al Qaeda is shown to have some connection to the attack, or even it claims a connection, it will represent at least a small resurgence of the organization under its new leader and potentially a shift to attack more “soft target” countries that are less protected than high profile targets such as the United Kingdom and the United States.

Link:http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/...-al-qaeda.html

In a comment, so not verified by research:

On German TV a terrorism expert pointed at an explosion at the Saudi Embassy in Oslo last year, to Norway's participation in the forces fighting against Qaddafi, and to the fact that one of the attacked buildings is Norway's Oil Ministry.

That link refers to a SAAG analysis, a year ago:http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5C...paper3915.html

A different angle, Norway & CT:

Norway’s intelligence service had previously been criticised for its failure to keep track of suspected terror cells and the country was felt to be complacent about the prospect of a terror attack, secret cables from the WikiLeaks files reveal.

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...or-attack.html

[SWJ Blog]

Norway Attack Roundup

Entry Excerpt:

Bomb Blast, Gun Assault Terrorize Norway - VOA

Violent attacks savaged normally peaceful Norway on Friday, with an Oslo bomb blast killing at least seven people and then a gunman disguised as a police officer opening fire on a youth camp. The twin assaults occurred within hours of each other, although it was not immediately clear they were linked.

The mid-afternoon bomb blast rocked Norway's government headquarters and also set the nearby oil ministry building on fire. Hundreds of windows in the 17-story government headquarters were shattered, as were others in buildings as far as 400 meters away. Thick, black smoke billowed from some of the offices, and streets in the normally quiet neighborhood were littered with debris from the explosion. Authorities said at least seven people were killed and numerous others injured.

Hours later, police reported that a gunman disguised as a police officer opened fire on youths attending a camp sponsored by the ruling Labour Party. At least five people were wounded in the attack. Authorities said they dispatched anti-terror police to the campsite on Utoeya Island south of Oslo...

CNA, a research group that studies terrorism, said a terror group, Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami (the Helpers of the Global Jihad) claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Islamist organization said the attacks were in response to the presence of Norwegian troops in Afghanistan as part of the U.S.-led international fight against the Taliban and Islamic insurgents, as well as insults against the Prophet Mohammed...

More

Blasts and Gun Attack in Norway; 7 Dead - NYT
Blast Rocks Oslo; Gunman Attacks Youth Camp - WP
Deadly Attacks Shake Norway - WSJ
Oslo Bomb Blast Kills at Least 7, Injures Several - LAT
Twin Terror Attacks Shock Norway - BBC
Seven Dead in Oslo Bomb; Nine Killed at Youth Camp - TT
Blast in Oslo Government Buildings - Reuters
Oslo Police Say 9-10 People Killed at Youth Camp - AP
Nine, Perhaps 10, Killed in Norway Shooting - Reuters
Norway Police Says Believe Shooting Linked to Blast - Reuters
Norway Attack: Likely Suspected Groups - Reuters
Oslo Attack Speculation Centers on Kurdish Group - WP
Factbox: Norway Security Outlook: 'Increased Uncertainty' - Reuters
Oslo Bomb Latest Updates - BBC
Video, Map, Updates of Oslo Explosion - NYT



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[Bill Moore]

Just because the Jihad websites are excited about the attack doesn't mean they were conducted by Islamists. They may have been two separate groups for each attack with an unlikely synchronization in timing, or both attacks may have been conducted by domestic political extremists. Too early to say at this point. First reports are almost always incorrect.

http://news.yahoo.com/undetonated-ex...213754348.html

Undetonated explosives were found on an island where a gunman killed at least 10 people at a youth camp near Oslo, Norwegian police said on Friday.
Explosives were found on the island," deputy Oslo police chief Sveining Sponheim told reporters. He said a man detained by police was aged 32 and "ethnic Norwegian."

[TDB]

I notice that there is no thread on this yet, probably because it is a little too close to home for many of us. Or even home for some of us. The idea of the threat is not to turn what is a tragedy into a case study but to look at what these events mean.

I think this attack in Norway is relevent to this board. A couple of observations while watching the events unfold on tv was that the immediate response was that this was AQ or an AQ linked group. Suggestions were then made that it might be an attack my right wing elements. Knowing very little about white supremacy in Norway and with a quick search on wikipedia yielding nothing, I thought this would be a good place for people to compile info and thoughts. This is indeed a worrying development, far right views and politics have been on the rise in Northern Europe over the last decade but even so such an event was unthinkable.

Are the far right the new threat? Will we see other states cracking down on far right groups, the EDL in England or the various militias in the States.


EDIT: Thanks for the merge.

[davidbfpo]

There is a SWJ item on the Norway attack, with links to media reports and some comments:http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/201...ttack-roundup/

This US report appears - after a little scanning - to contain a lot of information gathered by researching the suspect:http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpps/new...22-kh_14255246

I've been listening to the BBC News this morning and there is a mixture of reporting, speculation and more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14260205. Within are parts of the jigsaw on the attack, such as reports the suspect / defendant had purchased several tonnes of fertiliser in may for his farm.

[defense linguistics]

Wikipedia seems to be evolving into a rather efficient news aggregator:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Norway_attacks

[TDB]

Wikipedia seems to be evolving into a rather efficient news aggregator:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Norway_attacks

I noticed this 10 minutes after the news here reported it, crazy.

[davidbfpo]

Grim day yesterday for Norway, which continues today. It is almost a throwback to the invasion by Hitler's Germany in 1940 for the violence and the realisation when Quisling and his followers came to the fore, assisting the occupation that there was an 'enemy within'.

Much has been written about 'Lone Wolves', notably by Raffaello Pantucci and his website is: http://raffaellopantucci.com/tag/terrorism/ He is ex-IISS and now aligned to Kings College London. He has wisely not yet commented.

The potential for 'Lone Wolves' to develop has always been there, which the USA is more familiar with than Western Europe. Today the speed of moving to planning an attack is faster and the knowledge required easier to find. The extreme right has it's "lunatic fringe", rarely aggressive in Western Europe I say and despite all the bluster it is usually defensive posturing.

The BBC's Oslo correspondent has added a comment on the Norwegian extreme right:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14260195

I am sure many politicians across Europe, particularly where there is an extreme right fringe, will be asking their security agencies for a review of their own national / regional position. There is no reason why that should not be done in the UK, maybe in the USA & Canada?

Governments will normally conduct such a review behind a wall of secrecy. I see no reason why, in the UK, the Home Affairs Select Committee should not hold an open hearing nor that US Congressman who holds hearings on the threat from Muslims.

[Fuchs]

... and again I'm glad that I don't pay much attention to early reports...

[motorfirebox]

I posted this link in the journal entry comments, thought I'd share it here as well. Brief info on the attacker:

http://www.theatlantic.com/internati...killer/242398/

Breivik had set up his own business, Breivik Geofarm, and a month ago had started to run an organic farm in Hedmark in eastern Norway. There he reportedly produced and stored fertilizers that he was able to use in explosives.

He was known to be active on the internet, expressing extremist Islamophobic views on forums and criticizing immigration policies.

He recently claimed that politics today was not about socialism vs. capitalism but nationalism vs. internationalism. He argued on a Swedish news website that the media were not critical enough about Islam and claimed that Geert Wilders' Party for Freedom in the Netherlands was the only "true" party of conservatives.

[davidbfpo]

A YouTube clip 'Breivik Video Manifesto - Norway' accredited to the murderer, which was removed and then re-appeared:http://www.twitvid.com/EXJWW

Other sources indicate he was a rich man, had historical ties to a conservative political party till a few years ago and posted a lot on the web.

[TDB]

A YouTube clip 'Breivik Video Manifesto - Norway' accredited to the murderer, which was removed and then re-appeared:http://www.twitvid.com/EXJWW

Other sources indicate he was a rich man, had historical ties to a conservative political party till a few years ago and posted a lot on the web.

Well that was alarming

[AnalyticType]

It's been confirmed that he worked alone, that the attacks were planned and prepped for long in advance, that his background included Norwegian military service (conscription has been mentioned).

He is a member of a gun club and a registered gun owner, is well educated and has high intellect.

Under the auspices of his incorporated farm, he purchased and took receipt of six tonnes of fertilizer a month or two ago - probably did not use all of that for the bombing of Oslo, but a large quantity of it at any rate. As garden-variety fertilizer won't react explosively for ANFO, it's a safe bet that the fertilizer he bought was high-grade/high nitrogen content, otherwise he'd be faced with a ton of time needed to extract sufficient nitrogen to get a good boom.

[AnalyticType]

More precisely, the Israeli press' take on it...

Norway massacre suspect aired anti-Muslim, pro-Israel views

(...)
Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian who killed nearly 100 people in a combined terror attack Friday that included car bombings in Oslo and a shooting rampage at an island summer camp, held fiercely anti-Islamic and pro-Israel views, according to a 1,500 page manifesto he uploaded before his killing spree Friday.

(...)

In a jab at left-wing Jews, Breivik writes that pre-war German Jews were disloyal to their country, “at least the so-called liberal Jews, similar to the liberal Jews today that oppose nationalism/Zionism and support multiculturalism. Jews that support multiculturalism today are as much of a threat to Israel and Zionism (Israeli nationalism) as they are to us. So let us fight together with Israel, with our Zionist brothers against all anti-Zionists, against all cultural Marxists/multiculturalists.”

(...)

The manifesto also serves as a call to arms of sorts, in which Breivik lays out his reasons for launching the attack, focusing on what he describes as the importance of nationalism and the growing scourge of Islam in Europe.

Full article found here: http://www.jpost.com/International/A...aspx?id=230762

[TDB]

These events really won't help with the conspiracy theories surrounding the Free Masons with him rambling out about becoming a Knight Templar. It seems he was won over by this romatic idea himself. The question which will be raised now will be "could it happen here?!". I think if you look at it in a serious way, it would be unlikely to happen in the UK even with the existence of a thriving black market in arms. The bomb could be made but with the tight restrictions on the perchase of fertiliser it would raise suspicions, and in the aftermath of this people are more likley to alert the authorities to strange behaviour. Furthermore we are likely to see an adverse reaction to what Breivik had wanted. Groups such as the English Defence League will have to keep a low profile, does anyone know if they have released a statement about this?

[davidbfpo]

TDB,

Groups such as the English Defence League will have to keep a low profile, does anyone know if they have released a statement about this?

Yes they have and is on their website. There are two statements condemning the murders and denying any links to the suspect. This is he latest statement:http://englishdefenceleague.org/offi...nders-brievik/

For non-UK readers the English Defence League (EDL) are:

..a far-right street protest movement which opposes what it perceives as the spread of Islamism, Sharia law and Islamic extremism in England. The EDL uses street-based marches to protest against Islamic extremism.

From:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Defence_League

[AnalyticType]

It's even in english...

http://motherjones.com/politics/2011...nline-comments