Islamic Leader Ordered to Leave Norway
The leader of a Kurdish Islamic guerrilla group operating in northern Iraq was ordered out of Norway on Wednesday after immigration officials cited “a threat to national security” because of his alleged Al Qaeda links.
Mullah Krekar, leader of Ansar al-Islam, was given two weeks to leave Norway and three weeks to appeal the ruling.
At a Jan. 14 news conference in Oslo, Krekar denied that he or his group had any links to terrorism or ever had contact with Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Although Krekar’s lawyer is taking the issue to Norway’s Immigration Appeals Board, the action may only delay Krekar’s deportation because the Immigration Directorate’s recommendations contributed to the deportation ruling.
At a news conference, Erna Solberg, minister of local government and regional development, said her decision stemmed from U.N. Security Council talks on preventing havens for terrorism.
“Ansar al-Islam is an armed, Islamic, fundamentalist group -- which I believe there is reason to suppose has a connection to the Al Qaeda network,” said Solberg, whose ministry is responsible for asylum-seekers.
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