Militant Islamists with fighting experience in Syria may be planning an attack in Norway in the coming days, police said on Thursday, as they deployed armed units at borders, airports and railway stations.
A small group of Norway-based militants who have gained combat experience in conflicts around the globe have become the biggest threat to the Nordic nation and up to 50 have traveled to Syria in recent years, police said.
“We have information indicating that a terrorist action against Norway is planned to be carried out shortly, probably within days,” Benedicte Bjoernland, the director of the Police Security Service, the police’s intelligence unit, said.
She said police had no information about the target or the nature of the planned attack so armed police, an unusual sight in Norway, would be deployed in places considered high risk.
Prime Minister Erna Solberg, who was informed of the threat late on Wednesday, delayed her holiday plans and would stay in Oslo while police mobilized both uniformed and undercover units, summoning many off-duty officers to work.