SECURITY vs FREEDOM: Norwegian Ambassador: A More Restrictive Society” is Not the Answer

[I can't help but empathize with this guy and Norway as a whole.  I vacationed there, and absolutely love the people and their country. Maybe they are learning from our mistakes...hopefully, somebody does...SDF Blogger]

Published 4 August 2011

coutesy of www:s260.photobucket.com

Following the deadly terrorist attacks in Norway that left at least seventy-six people dead, Svein Sevje, Norway's ambassador to Israel, said in an interview that the Norwegian government will not become a surveillance state and instead focus on maintaining freedom and transparency; "The answer to this is not closing in and a more restrictive society, it's more transparency, more involvement, that must be the answer," Ambassador Sevje said; "Our prime minister and foreign minister have stated that Norway will still be recognizable tomorrow," he said; the ambassador added that some new security measures will be introduced, but he hopes that they will not come at the cost of democratic freedoms

TERRORISM: Norway Killer Wrote of Anthrax Attacks

Wednesday, July 27, 2011The man who confessed to carrying out last week's bombing and mass shooting in Norway wrote at length on the potential for waging biowarfare with anthrax, though specialists said there was no indication he possessed or was prepared to use the deadly pathogen, the New York Times reported on Tuesday (see GSN, May 18).

www.co.rockland.ny.us

"He obviously doesn't have any specialized knowledge," Harvard University biological weapons expert Matthew Meselson told the newspaper. "He's copied words from other places, and says himself that he doesn’t have the expertise."

Anders Breivik has admitted to carrying out the weekend bombing of a government facility in the capital of Oslo and the subsequent shooting spree on a political party youth retreat taking place at a nearby island. The two attacks killed a minimum of 76 people.

Shortly before the attacks, Breivik posted online a 1,500-page manifesto that addressed at length how to obtain and employ weapons of mass destruction including anthrax, which he described as "one of the most effective" threats. "Anthrax" was mentioned 50 times in the document and "spores" in 20 instances.   Read more

TERRORISM: What the Oslo, Norway Attack Could Mean for Europe

July 22, 2011

Firefighters at the site of an explosion near government buildings in Oslo on July 22

At least 17 people have died and more have been injured in an explosion in downtown Oslo and a shooting at a Labor Party youth camp outside the Norwegian capital. Norwegian police arrested the shooter at the camp and believe he is connected with the explosion, though others could be involved.
The significance of the events in Norway for the rest of Europe will depend largely on who is responsible, and the identity of the culprits is still unclear. However, STRATFOR can extrapolate the possible consequences of the attacks based on several scenarios.  Read more