The 23-year-old Norwegian was a medical student in Bulgaria when he was arrested in the summer of 2022. According to the indictment, he had then been active for a year in the newly established group Hurras al-Tawheed on social media channels associated with Al Qaeda. Public prosecutor Frederik Ranke informs news that PST believes that the group is a support group for Al Qaeda. In May 2022, Danish terrorism researcher Tore Hamming interviewed the spokesperson for the group, called Abu Yahya, for the blog Jihadica. Shortly after, the man was arrested. He is accused, among other things, of being Abu Yahya. Hamming has refused to be interviewed in this case, as he will testify in the trial against the Norwegian, which begins on 22 May. Three of the magazines the young man are accused of having participated in the publication of. Facsimile: screenshot In the interview, the start of Hurras al-Tawheed is described, and the man is described as one of the founders of the group. – Abu Yahya is one of the co-founders of Hurras al-Tawheed. He has been here from the beginning and was chosen by the members to be the one who drives the group forward. We think he is a good leader with a good vision, says the reply from the man, who seems to refer to himself in the third person. Then it is listed what several other members think of him: – He is most suitable to be our spokesperson because of his experience and organizational qualities, says someone with the surname Abu Abdullah. Pleads guilty and repents The young man is accused of inciting terror through, among other things, publishing seven magazines with the name “O Mujahideen in the West”. He is also accused of being a member of Al Qaeda. The man pleads guilty to both conditions, according to his defender Farhad Shæriæti. Farhad Shæriæti is the defendant’s defense attorney. Photo: private Shæriæti does not want to comment on the claims of Abu Yahya, who is supposed to be the Norwegian, to news: – The evidence will come out in court, he says. He describes his client as a young, upbeat boy who deeply regrets what he has been involved in. – The backdrop for what happened will be returned to in the court. Things are not as black and white as they may seem. He is looking forward to appearing in court and explaining himself to the court, says Shæriæti. – He is a Norwegian citizen, proud of it, and he wants to return to society as quickly as possible. The cover of one of the magazines the Norwegian medical student is accused of having contributed to publishing. Facsimile: Screenshot Adapted to young people The magazine attracted attention in research circles that monitor terrorist networks, among other things, because of its focus on reaching young people. “The message must be adapted to the situation we are in. We have understood that young people are used to short and quick information. We have realized that this is the way information should be disseminated. Quick – easy – true”, says one of the magazines the man is accused of having distributed in social media, according to the Global Network on Extremism and Technology. – The magazine “O Mujahideen in the West” is an attempt by Hurras Al-Tawheed to make Muslims in the West understand that they have been deceived about Islam, says what will be the Norwegian in the interview. – We chose English as our main language, because it is widespread throughout the world, he continues. According to the indictment against the man, the short magazines contained, among other things, recipes on how to stab someone and how to make napalm. The interview also praises the positive feedback the group received after they started publishing the magazines. Frederik Ranke is the prosecutor in the case. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB Among other things, it is claimed that someone who works with Al Qaeda contacted them and gave them advice on how to structure the group. And that Hurras al-Tawheed collaborates with the media wing of the Pakistani Taliban, Umar Media, on the translation of their message. At the same time, he emphasizes that Hurras al-Tawheed has not sworn allegiance to either Al Qaeda or other networks. – We want the Muslims in the Western world to forget this civil war that came from Sham. We don’t see why a “lone wolf” should worry about which group they belong to, but want her or him to dedicate their life to Allah and do an operation on behalf of the whole community, the boy replies. Should not have sworn allegiance to Al Qaeda State Attorney Ranke says that even if the defendant or the group he is said to have founded has not sworn allegiance to Al Qaeda, the prosecution still believes that they are connected to the international terrorist network. – There is no requirement that one must swear allegiance to an organization in order to be considered a supporter. There are a number of foreign fighters who claimed not to swear allegiance to ISIL, but there is no condition for being considered as a participant that you have sworn allegiance, says Ranke. Do you have any tips or input on how we can continue to work on this matter? Send an e-mail here, or contact me on mobile/Signal + 4741462909. According to Ranke, no magazines have been published since the man accused of terrorism was arrested in Bulgaria. He would not say anything about Hurras al-Tawheed’s size or where other members are based, but notes that they have communicated in English. Ranke believes that the fact that the magazines the medical student is accused of creating are aimed at young people makes them more dangerous: – You are targeting a vulnerable group here, which can be easily influenced. We take that seriously. – How big a potential for violence do you think Hurras al-Tawheed can have? – The calls that come have the potential for violence if someone takes the calls seriously. That would mean a terrorist attack. And the target group is younger people, he says.
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Norwegian charged with terrorism (23) described himself as the founder of a terrorist network – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
