Norwegian trained by Al Qaeda offshoot in Yemen awaiting orders to attack West, European officials say
Published June 25, 2012
Associated Press
STOCKHOLM – A Norwegian man has received terrorist training from Al Qaeda's offshoot in Yemen and is awaiting orders to carry out an attack on the West, officials from three European security agencies told The Associated Press on Monday.
Western intelligence officials have long feared such a scenario -- a convert to Islam who is trained in terrorist methods and can blend in easily in Europe and the United States, traveling without visa restrictions.
Officials from three European security agencies confirmed Monday the man is "operational," meaning he has completed his training and is about to receive a target. All spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly. They declined to name the man, who has not been accused of a crime.
"We believe he is operational and he is probably about to get his target," one security official said. "And that target is probably in the West."
A security official in a second European country confirmed the information, adding: "From what I understand, a specific target has not been established."
European security services, including in Norway, have warned in recent years of homegrown, radicalized Muslims traveling to terror training camps in conflict zones. Many of the known cases involve young men with family roots in Muslim countries.
But the latest case involves a man in his 30s with no immigrant background, the officials said. After converting to Islam in 2008, he quickly became radicalized and traveled to Yemen to receive terror training, one of the officials said. The man spent "some months" in Yemen and is still believed to be there, he said.
The official said the man has no criminal record, which would also make him an ideal recruit for Al Qaeda.
"Not even a parking ticket," he said. "He's completely clean and he can travel anywhere."
The official would not specify what preventive measures were being taken but said "there is a well-established relationship between Western security services, and they share the information needed to prevent terrorism."
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