Three men stand accused before a Norwegian court for allegedly plotting terrorist attacks on American and Israeli embassies as well a shooting which occurred at a synagogue, according to Reuters.
The three men will be the first to stand trial in Norway under a new set of stricter laws designed to address terrorism.
Thirty-year-old Arfan Bhatti is charged with planning to conduct an attack on both the American and Israeli embassy. The Norwegian native is also charged with firing 13 bullets into the wall of an Oslo synagogue in 2006 using an automatic weapon. No one was hurt in the shooting.
The second man is accused of participation in the synagogue attack and the third man, a 28-year-old from Norway, is accused of aiding the plot against the embassies. All three men have denied all allegations against them.
According to evidence presented in court, conversations heard by a bug in Bhatti’s car and phone alerted the police to the plot against the embassies. Bhatti and three suspected accomplices were later arrested.
The trail will probably take about 40 days and will be a landmark case for the new anti-terrorist legislation. If convicted of conspiracy to carry out terrorist acts, the men could face imprisonment for as long as 12 years.
[…] Norwegian anti-terror legislation on trial […]