Shots Fired at Mullah Krekar's Residence, No Suspects in

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/01
TAGS: PREL PTER PHUM IZ NO
SUBJECT: Shots Fired at Mullah Krekar's Residence, No Suspects in
Hand

REF: 09 OSLO 773

CLASSIFIED BY: Aldo Sirotic, Acting Political Economic Counselor;
REASON: 1.4(B)


1. (U) According to witnesses, two men allegedly attempted to break
into Ansar al-Islam founder Mullah Krekar's (aka Najmuddin Faraj
Ahmad) residence in Oslo early morning on January 22. Five shots
were subsequently fired into the residence, lightly injuring
Krekar's son-in-law in the arm. Krekar's son-in-law (reportedly 27
years old),and his wife, Krekar's daughter, were on a visit from
London. At approximately the same time on January 22, a car was
set on fire two blocks from Krekar's apartment, raising speculation
that the two incidents may be related. Police have released
minimal information; Police Director Grete Lien Metlid told NRK
news January 27 that a hammer found near the crime-scene may have
been used during the break-in attempt.


2. (C) Norwegian media has speculated that the January 17 visit to
Oslo by a Patriot Union of Kurdistan (PUK) official could be
related to the attempt on Krekar. In response, PUK representative
Aras Mustafa told Norwegian left-leaning daily Verdens Gang (VG)
January 28 that "it is impossible that the PUK could have done such
a thing." MFA Iraq Desk Officer Anita Krokan showed PolOff an SMS
she received January 22 from a Kurdistan Regional Government
representative in Oslo, which said that the Norwegian government
bore responsibility for investigating the crime and protecting
Krekar. Krokan said that the message seemed a bit odd at the time.
(Note: The message was sent before the news reports on potential
PUK involvement in the crime. End Note.) Krekar's lawyer Brynjar
Meling told Dagbladet that the attack appeared professional,
raising his concern and fear that "Northern Iraqi" groups may be
behind the attack.


3. (U) As of January 29, Mullah Krekar, his wife, his 15-year-old
son, his daughter, and his wounded son-in-law were reportedly
staying in an undisclosed location, protected by Norwegian police.
The daughter told VG that things were going well with her husband
and with the rest of the family, and that they feel safe. The
article added that VG knows that the hidden location is a hotel in
the Oslo area.


4. (SBU) Since the shooting, a group with now over 30,000 members
called "Gi mannen som skjot etter Krekar et lastersikte sa han
treffer neste gang," which roughly translates as "Give the man who
tried to shoot Krekar a laser sight so that he hits him next time",
has been established on Facebook, one of many groups either
lobbying for Krekar's deportation from Norway or condoning the
attack and/or future attacks on Mullah Krekar. Norwegian
politician Abid Q. Raja (Venstre party) told daily newspaper
Dagbladet January 27 that while he agreed that Mullah Krekar should
be deported from Norway, he believed that when people joined groups
espousing violence, they sink to the level of Mullah Krekar
himself. "Such extreme Facebook pages show that many may have a
little Krekar in themselves" he was quoted as saying. Another
Facebook page, "Fa Mullah Krekar Ut Av landet!!!" which translates
as "Get Mullah Krekar Out of the Country!!!" continues with almost
100,000 members.

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