Islamists planning imminent attack in Norway, intel agency says

USPA News - Individuals affiliated with an extremist Islamist group in Syria are plotting to carry out a terrorist attack in Norway in the coming days, the country`s police intelligence agency said on Thursday, prompting authorities to increase security at airports and railway stations. The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) said it had few details about the nature of the suspected plot, but described the information as being more serious than usual.

"We have no information about who is behind such an attack, how it will be carried our, the target or in what way such an attack will be carried out," the agency said in a statement. The terror threat against Norway has long been considered to be heightened, most recently as a result of people who are being recruited to join the fight of Islamists in Syria and Iraq, where an al-Qaeda splinter group has declared itself an Islamic caliphate after seizing much of northeastern Syria and parts of Iraq. "PST receives this sort of information from partner services from time to time, but it often turns out not to be correct," the agency said. "In our preliminary investigations in this case, the credibility of the information was however strengthened. We also have information indicating that a terrorist action against Norway is planned to be carried out shortly - probably in a few days." PST said it was attempting to verify the information in cooperation with the Norwegian Intelligence Service and other agencies. "As the information is not specific and not very concrete but at the same time credible, it is difficult to give advice to the citizens of this country on how to act in this situation," it added.