This afternoon Alqaida has issue news threats to the US and Britain which is something normal, the next target is Australia, which is also understandable (for their evil mind), and against a new country…..I thought it was Spain…..opppssss NORWAY?..
what wrong has the peacefull, idylic and quiet Norway done (appart from whale fishing:-)) to the muslim world?. I am a bit surprised.
By: skythe - 22nd May 2003 at 22:00
From today’s http://www.opinionjournal.com :
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Reuters adds to the speculation about why a man purporting to be Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda’s No. 2 man, listed Norway among the countries the terror group is targeting:
It was not immediately clear why oil-rich, NATO-member Norway, which did not send troops to fight in the Iraq war, was mentioned. Oslo’s main role in the Middle East has been to help mediate between Israelis and Palestinians.
Some analysts said the speaker may have confused Norway with Scandinavian neighbor Denmark, which did take part in the U.S.-led war that toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Then again, maybe it’s just a variation of an old Hitler joke:
Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden are sitting in a cafe. A man walks up to them and asks, “Say, aren’t you Osama bin Laden?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I really admire what you did on Sept. 11. What do you have planned next?”
“I’m going to kill all the Americans, and all the Norwegians.”
The man is puzzled. “Norwegians? Why Norwegians?”
Bin Laden turns to Zawahiri and says, “See? I told you nobody would care about the Americans!”
By: keltic - 21st May 2003 at 20:13
Taking from the BBC.
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Norway shocked by ‘al-Qaeda’ threat
By Lars Bevanger
BBC, Oslo
The Norwegian authorities are struggling to come up with a clear reason why Norway should have been included in a threat attributed to the al-Qaeda network broadcast on Al-Jazeera television on Wednesday.
The hope of the authorities was that al-Qaeda simply got their geography wrong and did not mean to threaten Norway at all
The threat from what is said to be the al-Qaeda network has baffled authorities and people here alike.
Analysts are struggling to come up with any reasons why Norwegian embassies and interests abroad should be singled out for attacks from Muslim fundamentalists.
Norway has traditionally been seen as a peacemaker in the Middle East and the country protested against the war in Iraq.
The government has also been critical of aspects of Washington’s declared war on terror.
Awaiting instructions
One possible reason which has been put forward is the presence of Norwegian special forces in Afghanistan, but this is a small force and other countries have a much more pronounced presence there.
Norway’s diplomatic efforts in the Middle East is considered a welcome activity by most of the Arab world and not a root cause for Muslim anger.
The threat is being taken seriously, however, and Norwegian interests abroad are awaiting instructions from Oslo about any possible extra security measures to be taken.
The hope of the authorities, as expressed by one diplomat, was that al-Qaeda simply got their geography wrong and did not mean to threaten Norway at all.
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May 21, 2003 at 8:02 pm