However, PST has no knowledge of concrete plans for terrorist acts directed against Norway, says Assistant Chief Inga Bejer Engh at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
It is important to emphasize.
Norwegian security police are raising the terror level from four to five, which is the second-highest level.
We are continuously working to prevent terrorist threats. We hope to be able to calm down the uncertain situation we are facing and reduce the terror level to its previous level as soon as possible, says Inga Bejer Engh.
Threat Intensifies
The increase in the terror threat level is linked to the ongoing escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. In Norway, it is primarily the threat against Jewish and Israeli targets that has intensified further, according to PST.
As a result of the increased threat level, the police have decided to arm police nationally.
We know that this creates fear and anxiety among many, but I want to be clear that we take this development very seriously, says Bejer Engh.
At the press conference, PST's special adviser on counter-terrorism, Siv Sørensen, also participated. Sørensen pointed out that both the Israeli embassies in Copenhagen and Stockholm have been subjected to terrorist acts recently.
Several Jewish holidays, such as Yom Kippur, take place in October. We know that individuals with connections to the attack in Copenhagen have had activities linked to Norway, says Sørensen.
Vulnerable Minority
Jan Oskar Engene, a terrorism expert at the University of Bergen, tells TT that the police are much more concrete than usual in such cases.
Both that they mention Jewish and Israeli targets, and that the threat can come from, for example, Iran. We also know that Norwegian police have long been worried about Swedish criminal networks being active in Norway as well.
The Jewish minority in Norway is very small, estimated to consist of 1,500 people, making it extra vulnerable.
We also only have two synagogues, one in Oslo and one in Trondheim, says Jan Oskar Engene.
How will the Norwegian public notice that the terror level has been raised?
The most concrete thing will be armed police. Police do not carry weapons on a daily basis in Norway, so that will be noticeable. Apart from that, I don't think the change will be very visible, except at specific targets like the embassy and synagogues. But they are already quite well-monitored.
