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).

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"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: Updates on the Oslo Bombing, Al-Qaida Takes Responsibility

UPDATED JULY 22, 5:16 P.M.
WASHINGTON -- At least seven people are dead Friday after an explosion rocked a government building in Oslo, Norway and a man dressed as a police officer opened fire at a youth camp outside the capital.

Al-Qaida-linked terrorists have taken responsibility for Friday's attacks, a respected blog about counter-terrorism reported.

An officer stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo said all American personnel assigned to the mission were safe and accounted for, though personnel were still checking to see if any American tourists had been at the scene.

Abu Suleiman al Nasser issued a statement saying the bombing was connected to a Dec. 2010 attack in Stockholm, Sweden, according to  The Long War Journal, a blog on counter-terrorism, which  received a translation of the statement from the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist groups online.  For 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