Oslo, Norway: Islamic extremism, which is becoming more and more radicalised and international due in large part to social networking sites like Facebook, remains the main threat against Norway, intelligence police agency PST said on Monday.
Islamic extremism is ‘our main priority and our main concern,’ PST chief Janne Kristiansen said as she presented the agency's annual risk assessment report.
"Although few people in Norway support Islamic extremism, there are activities within some groups that could contribute to heightening the security risk in 2011," the report said.
According to PST, Islamic extremism is becoming ever more radicalised due to social networking websites like Facebook, ‘which are becoming important arenas for the distribution and discussion of the points of view of Islamic extremists.’
"Since people with opposing opinions rarely participate in the same forums as those used to spread Islamic extremist ideas, the message legitimising and glorifying the use of violence as a political tool rarely meets resistance," the report said.
With increasingly global ambitions, the Islamic extremist threat has meanwhile become ever more mobile, according to PST.
‘Some individuals in Norway have traveled to take part in training or fighting’ in risk countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somali and Yemen, the report said.
NATO member Norway, which counts some 500 troops in Afghanistan, has never suffered an attack at home by Islamic extremists.
However, police last year arrested three Muslim men based in Norway suspected of planning an attack using explosives in the Scandinavian country.