Anundsen regrets – Sunnmørsposten Police Security Service (PST) confirms that the threat response will be scaled down to the same level as before the response was heightened last week.
evaluation to the Police Security Service (PST) is that it has not been possible to produce additional information that supports the specific threat against Norway. Police will therefore continue to downscaling of the increased response to a level in line with PST’s last general threat assessment from February 2014.
preparedness was raised last Thursday because data indicated that there was a specific and time-limited threat Norway.
– It is the total information picture now suggests that this is not going to happen, says the PST-chief Alana Bjørnland.
Would do it again
– I would no doubt have done the same again, says Anundsen said.
criticism from party colleague Jan Arild Ellingsen, he has little sense. The longtime FRP representative believes openness about the terrorist threat has contributed to noise and public concern.
– It’s like crying wolf-wolf. Next time there is a risk that residents do not take such a message as severe, said Ellingsen VG this week.
Armed police were the result of the heightened threat level, but this was not the only reason Attorney General chose to go out to the public and inform.
– No, a number of factors played into said Anundsen, who refuses to go into further detail.
Continued terrorist danger
A week has passed since the response was increased because of information about “a specific and time-limited threat to Norway.”
– The probability that the original information was correct is reduced. The threat of an imminent terrorist attack in Norway has decreased, said the chief of the Police Security Service Benedicte Bjørnland during Thursday’s press conference.
She does not preclude an actual terrorist attack has been averted as a result of the preventive measures that the police initiated.
– But we’ll probably never answer, she says.
preparedness level is now re-adapted PST last general threat assessment from February 2014.
– It involves that there will still be a risk of terrorist attack on Norwegian soil. We must live with an increased threat situation is normal, says Anundsen.
Bjørnland states that Norway faces a significant “residual risk”, although the current threat is toned down.
Great resources
Justice and the underlying agencies have started an evaluation of how the terrorist threat was handled. But even now the police director Odd Reidar Humlegård establish that the stringent response has had its price.
– There is no doubt that this has required significant resources, but what it has cost, we do not know yet, he says.
Finance Minister Siv Jensen (FRP) have all stated that the government intends to cover the extraordinary costs.
When PST raised the alarm last week, it was because the service had been informed that a group of people were on their way from Syria to Europe. The purpose was to conduct a terrorist act, and Norway was mentioned as a possible target.
– information about the threat was not verified. We did not know if they were completely or partially correct. There was also no information about where, how or why a possible terrorist attack would be carried out, says Bjørnland.
Lot not verify
When PST raised the alarm last week, it was because they had received information that a group of people were on their way from Syria to Europe. The purpose was to conduct a terrorist act, and Norway was mentioned as a possible target.
– information about the threat was not verified. We did not know if they were completely or partially correct. There was also no information about where, how or why a possible terrorist attack would be carried out, says Bjørnland.
– A possible effect of publicizing the threat may be that a terrorist attack has been thwarted, but this we will probably never answer, she adds.
May orient society
Bjørnland emphasizes that the general risk of terrorist attacks and politically motivated violence still exists.
– The democratic our society is vulnerable, and although the current threat is toned down, we are faced with a significant residual risk, she says.
When PST chose to tell the public about the threat, it was partly because the stringent response would be visible in the street scene with armed police.
– The most visible measures were more uniformed and armed police, and our assessment was that it was impossible not to inform the community about it, said Police Officer Odd Reidar Humlegård.
Wednesday was the maritime security level is lowered to level 1 in the less vulnerable port facilities, while other ports still had security level 2
time 16.30 Thursday it was reported that the Police Directorate had ordered Salten police district to liquidate the strengthened preparedness in the district. This means that the police are no longer to bear arms, and that border control will return to normal, said police district.
Extremists
PST suspected that people linked to an extreme group in Syria had intends to carry out a terrorist attack in Norway. According to VG group had left Syria.
PST should have been informed that people had fake Norwegian identity papers, according to journalist and terrorist expert Kjetil Stormark. He said that he has gotten this confirmed by several independent sources.
– If there are more links to Norway, or if this is the only one, I do not know, said Stormark NTB earlier this week.
According Stormark authorities know the identity of one person in the group alleged to have traveled to Europe.
As late as Wednesday the situation was described as “serious and unsettled” – an assessment unchanged from the day before.
