Europol plans terrorist threat task force for Norway

LONDON -- In the wake of Norway's terrorist attack, the European police agency is setting up a task force of more than 50 experts to help investigate non-Islamist threats in Scandinavian countries, its spokesman said Saturday.

Soeren Pedersen said the group, based in The Hague, hopes to help Norway in the coming weeks and to aid other countries such as Denmark, Finland and Sweden in assessing non-Islamist threats. Norway has not yet requested forensic experts but Europol stands ready to assist, Pedersen said.

"There is no doubt that the threat from Islamist terrorism is still valid," he said, adding that the task force could be expanded in the future to include even more European nations. "But there have actually been warnings that (right-wing groups) are getting more professional, more aggressive in the way they attract others to their cause."

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, European countries have viewed Islamic terrorism as the primary threat. But the fact that the suspect in Friday's attacks turned out to be a Norwegian with right-wing views is raising questions about whether homegrown, non-Islamic terror threats have been misjudged.

The alleged assailant was identified by Norway's national broadcaster as Anders Behring Breivik, 32; police will not confirm his name because charges are pending.

Authorities say he posted comments on Christian fundamentalist websites and held anti-Muslim views. He was also once a member of the youth wing of a rightist party.

In leaked diplomatic cables dating back to 2008, U.S. diplomats warned that Norway seemed complacent about terror threats and criticized gaps in intelligence. The cables released by WikiLeaks also give a snapshot of simmering anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic tensions in Norway.

Anti-immigrant sentiment has grown in Norway as tensions rose over its policy of taking in conflict refugees.

Europe has seen an overall increase in xenophobia, boosting the ranks of ultranationalists and fueling their activity. Still, experts and officials across Europe say the main terror threat hovering over the continent remains Islamic jihadism.

They suggest that the overall danger posed by European political extremists, both from left and right, is relatively small -- but that anybody with the will and the means has a chance of wreaking devastation.