Several new threats have been made against Norwegian embassies and institutions around the world since the country’s devastating 22nd July attacks.
According to the Aftenposten newspaper, “concrete” written and oral threats have been received by various targets, including Norwegian embassies in Amman and Helsinki and the Norwegian Institute in Rome.
“It was disturbing but not dramatic,” Turid Karlsen Seim of the Rome institute, which is part of the University of Oslo, told Aftenposten. “We followed up with the necessary measures and the Italian police took it seriously.”
Siv Alsen, of Norway’s police intelligence unit PST, explained to the newspaper that treats made after big attacks generally have no substance. She added, however, that all those received are being taken seriously, “and then it’s evaluated whether they should be pursued”.
Norwegian far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in Norway on 22nd July in a bomb attack at government offices in Oslo followed by a mass shooting spree at a Labour Party island youth camp. In his so-called manifesto, published online shortly before the attacks, he said he hoped others would follow in his footsteps and fight against ‘the Islamification’ of Europe and Norway.
In safety measures never before seen in Norway, government ministers have been asked to report all travel arrangements to the PST, with some even being assigned personal bodyguards. Security has also been stepped up at Norwegian embassies around the world.