Unfathomable terror in Norway

By Pramod De Silva

Norway lost its innocence on July 22. The events that took place in and around Oslo, the capital, would forever change one of the most peaceful countries. The country that awards the Nobel Prize for Peace lost its peace that Friday afternoon. The bomb that went off in the centre of Oslo claimed eight lives - and shattered the hopes of Norwegians - that their tranquil country would be spared of the terror that had gripped many other countries.

One of the first questions that the media and many others raised was "why (attack) Norway". The Nordic nation had gained a reputation for striving to bring peace to other conflicthit countries and it is one of the most open, tolerant, almost crime-free societies with even a policeman being a rare sight on the streets.

When the bomb exploded, fingers were pointed immediately at 'Islamic terrorists'; i.e. al-Qaeda and similar groups. Norway has a small presence in Afghanistan and there is a belief that all Western European countries are on the al-Qaeda hit list.

But later events proved the danger of this stereotypical thinking. Just a couple of hours after the bombing, news trickled in that there has been a mass shooting in a small island called Utoeya off Oslo where the ruling Labour Party was conducting a youth camp. Right-wing extremist Nearly 70 deaths later, the police found the suspect responsible for this twin carnage: Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old right-wing extremist who opposed immigration and the 'Islamisation' of Norway and Europe.

People lay flowers in memory of those who died in the attacks

The island of Utoeya

He had used several automatic weapons to kill his victims, all Norwegians. That Norway was attacked by one of its own nationals was a great shock to Norwegians. The great tragedy is that he killed Norwegians to express his opposition to Muslims and others migrating to Norway. Norway's first terror attack has again brought into focus the undercurrent of discontent over the issue of immigration in European countries. A number of European extremist parties are openly hostile to opening the borders to others. Breivik claimed that there are 'cells'; of extremists working to stop the Islamisation of Europe, though police say he had worked alone, at least in this particular instance.

In fact, he had published a 1,500 manifesto for 'Europe in 2083' some sections of which have been plagiarised from Unabomber Ted Kaczynski's rants. The manifesto reveals his obsession with the Knights Templar, a militant-monastic order. Breivik styled himself as a leading figure in a resurrected chapter of the Knights Templar. Pre-emptive war Breivik seemed to be serious about his role and claimed that he, along with around a dozen others, restarted the order in London 2002 to turn back the supposed advance of Islam across the West. The manifesto calls for the 'redemption and defence' of all Christendom.

Breivik writes: "The time for armed resistance has come. The Knights Templar on behalf of the free peoples of Europe, hereby declare a pre-emptive war against the cultural Marxist/ multiculturalist regimes of Western Europe."

Perhaps more than any other nation on Earth, Norway practised multiculturalism in the true sense of the word. In a way, there's hardly any difference between Breivik and others of his ilk and groups such as al-Qaeda, for both groups abhor assimilation and diversity. Terrorists of whatever hue attack these very values that we cherish: democracy, openness, freedom, justice, unity and diversity.

Herein lies the danger faced by all civilised nations: it is difficult to stereotype terrorism and terrorists. From 9/11 to Norway's 7/22, innocent lives were lost in the end, all for a hazy 'cause' that served no purpose. The same applied to the brand of terrorism perpetrated here by the LTTE. In today's world, acts of terrorism can be totally unconventional. The terror in Norway came from a completely unexpected quarter and took the entire world by surprise.

This is why it is important to be vigilant 24/7. As the saying goes, terrorists have to be lucky only once and governments have to be lucky all the time. There are indications that Norway could have been better forewarned and prepared if the authorities pursued certain leads earlier. For example, Breivik has been flagged for purchasing chemicals from Polish supplier Lukasz Mikus earlier in the year. But intelligence agencies did not warrant it suspicious enough to investigate further.

Anders Behring Breivik	Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg

Pan-European probe Even such a tiny gap is enough for a terrorist to wriggle through and cause mayhem. There should be no room for terrorism anywhere in the world. Intelligence, both in the form of men on the ground and technological methods, should be increased and shared among nations. The Breivik probe has already become a pan-European one - international cooperation is vital to stop terrorists in their tracks.

All countries, not just those in a so-called 'hit-list' must be prepared for terror attacks. The Norway killings revealed great gaps in the country's domestic security. Norwegian police had come under flak for their apparently slow response to the emerging disaster. According to reports, emergency calls from the island were put on hold because the operators were giving priority to calls from the bombed buildings. Norway's quick-reaction Delta Force doesn't own a helicopter. The police, for the entire country, own only one helicopter based north of Oslo and it could not be used because the pilots were on holiday.

In a macabre twist, it has been revealed that a Norwegian television helicopter was circling the island as the shooting was in progress and actually captured the killer on tape while the police were trying to scramble a helicopter. Police have already acknowledged they did not arrive on the island until an hour after being told about the shooting.

The controversy over the response time deepened when it was disclosed that officers racing to the island had to use two civilian boats after their own vessel suffered engine problems. A rescue operation that should have taken 15 minutes instead took nearly 90. Loss of innocence But now Norway and many other countries which had not faced terror incidents will essentially have to change. One expert said that 'Norwegians may see the security precautions they must now take as some kind of loss of innocence, but they have to be done'. The Norwegian incident also highlights a recent trend in terrorism, the use of automatic weapons on civilian persons and targets.

Helping the injured at Utoeya

This was the main method used by the terrorists who attacked Mumbai in November 2008 and the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in March 2009. There seems to be easy access to light automatic weapons, be it for a lone terrorist or a terrorist group. An even more dangerous possibility is the use of chemical or biological weapons by terror groups.

It has already happened at least once - the Japanese religious cult Aum Shinrikyo poisoned the Tokyo subway system with Sarin, a deadly nerve gas, in 1995, causing 13 deaths and 6,252 injuries. No room should be left for such an attack again. The world must get together to fight terrorism. Sri Lanka has successfully eradicated terrorism from its soil after 30 long years.

As the LTTE and al-Qaeda have demonstrated, terror networks are interconnected and truly global in nature. Thus it has become a worldwide scourge that should be dealt with firmly.

Nations must exercise eternal vigilance and be prepared at all times. In this context, a recent report compiled by the Centre for New American offers a valuable insight: "In dealing with extremist groups and cults, the world is playing Russian roulette - many chambers in the gun prove to be harmless, but some chambers are loaded". It is these bullets that the world must try to stop, and in the event they are fired, faced with courage and a conviction to stop the next one.