Posted on 08/24/2002 8:08:53 PM PDT by knighthawk
OSLO, Norway - Immigration officials on Thursday confirmed that the Kurdish leader of an Islamic extremist group linked to al-Qaida has refugee status in Norway, although he has not been in the Scandinavian country for two years.
The Norwegian Directorate for Immigration said that Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad, who goes by the name of Mullah Kreekar, came to Norway in 1993 from Iran as part of a U.N. refugee resettlement program.
He was granted refugee status and served as imam in a fundamentalist congregation called Islamic Vision of Norway, which he founded and is now inactive.
Norway's largest newspaper Verdens Gang and Norwegian state television network NRK reported Thursday that Mullah Kreekar had refugee status in the Scandinavian nation of 4.5 million people.
Norwegian authorities said they have been monitoring Ahmad's activities since as early as 1994 and planned to review his status after media reported Thursday about his links to the Ansar al-Islam group in northern Iraq.
The radical group, which is based in several villages near the Iranian border, has recently been linked to al-Qaida by U.S. officials.
"We have kept track of his activities for several years, in dialogue with the Security Police," immigration agency spokesman Geir Loendal told The Associated Press, adding that the mullah has not been seen in Norway for nearly two years.
"Based on new information in Norwegian media, the directorate will do a full review of Mullah Kreekar's status, and decide within a couple of days what the authorities' response will be," he added.
NRK interviewed the religious leader in Iraq in May. The interview is scheduled to be broadcast next Tuesday.
Ola Flyum, the journalist responsible for the program, said the interview was done by a local journalist in northern Iraq but declined to give more details before it is aired.
The Web site of Ansar al-Islam, which was formed in December 2001, identifies its leader as "Najm al-Din Faraj," who goes by the name "Kreekar."
Loendal said the man officially registered in Norway as Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad was believed to be the same and his family, including a brother, still lives in downtown Oslo.
You should have kept track of his activities in dialogue with the prison.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.