Mullah Krekar
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Najmadin Faraj Ahmad (, July 7, 1956), better known as Mullah Krekar (), is a
Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...
Sunni Islam Sunni Islam is the largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any Succession to Muhammad, successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr ...
ic scholar. He was a commander for the
Peshmerga The Peshmerga () are the internal security forces of Kurdistan Region. According to the Constitution of Iraq, regional governments are responsible for "the establishment and organization of the internal security forces for the region such as p ...
unit belonging to the
Kurdistan Islamic Movement The Kurdistan Islamic Movement (, in the Kurmanji dialect) is a Kurdish Islamist party founded in 1987 by mufti Osman Abdulaziz and several other Kurdish Islamic scholars who were all part of the non-political "Union of Religious Scholars" g ...
during the
1991 Iraqi uprisings The 1991 Iraqi uprisings were ethnic and religious uprisings against Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime in Iraq that were led by Shia Arabs and Kurds. The uprisings lasted from March to April 1991 after a ceasefire following the end of th ...
. Later, he founded Ansar al-Islam in 2001, and left for
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
in 2003, where he founded Rawti Shax. He was arrested and is currently serving a prison sentence in Italy, after having been extradited from Norway in 2020. He came to
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
as a
refugee A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...
from
Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...
in 1991. His wife, Rukhosh Ahmad, and his four children have Norwegian citizenship, but not Krekar himself. He speaks
Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...
,
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
,
Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
, Norwegian and English. He had no relation to Jama'at Ansar al-Islam, which emerged long after Ansar al-Islam disbanded. Krekar was the original leader of the Islamist armed group Ansar al-Islam, which was set up and commenced operations in Northern Iraq while he had refugee status in Norway. Krekar claims, however, not to have had foreknowledge of the various terrorist attacks performed by the group he was leading. Since February 2003 he has an expulsion order against him, which is suspended pending Iraqi government guarantees that he will not face torture or execution. Norway is committed to international treaties which prohibit the expulsion of an individual without such a guarantee. Kurdish authorities in the
Kurdistan Kurdistan (, ; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo- cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. G ...
Regional Government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...
have repeatedly asked for Mullah Krekar to be extradited from Norway. The death penalty remains on the books in the Kurdistan region. Most death sentences have been changed into life sentences since the Kurdish authorities took power in 1992, the exception being that eleven alleged members of Ansar al-Islam were hanged in the regional capital of
Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...
in October 2006. He has as of 8 December 2006 been on the UN terror list, and as of 8 November 2007 been judged by the
Supreme Court of Norway The Supreme Court of Norway ( Norwegian Bokmål: ; Norwegian Nynorsk: ; lit. 'Highest Court') is the highest court in the Norwegian judiciary. It was established in 1815 on the basis of section 88 in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway, ...
as a "danger to national security". On March 26, 2012, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison for making repeated death threats against Norwegian politicians and the Kurds if they pursued certain civil actions against him. He has appealed this prison sentence. The next day, March 27, 2012, he was arrested by the
Norwegian Police Security Service The Norwegian Police Security Service (, ) is the police security agency of Norway. The agency was previously known as ''POT'' (' or Police Surveillance Agency), the name change was decided by the Parliament of Norway on 2 June 2001. History an ...
(PST) and Norwegian Police and taken into protective custody and incarceration. This occurred after certain additional statements of a threatening nature were linked to him, suggesting that others might take retaliatory actions against Norwegians if his civil prison sentence were implemented. In 2020, he was extradited to Italy. In 2022, his 12-year prison sentence was upheld when the Italian Supreme Court rejected his appeal.


Early life

Mullah Krekar joined the
KDP KDP may refer to: Businesses *Kindle Direct Publishing, an e-publisher that bans without reason *Keurig Dr Pepper, a beverage conglomerate Political parties * Karpatendeutsche Partei (KdP; Carpathian Germany Party), Czechoslovakia * Katipunan ...
branch of the
Peshmerga The Peshmerga () are the internal security forces of Kurdistan Region. According to the Constitution of Iraq, regional governments are responsible for "the establishment and organization of the internal security forces for the region such as p ...
in 1974. He claimed that the Kurdish resistance movement in Iraq collapsed due to the "American conspiracy" that forced
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 â€“ 27 July 1980) was the last List of monarchs of Iran, Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the ...
to close Iranian borders to the Iraqi Kurds in 1975 and sign an agreement with
Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...
in Algeria. He became religious during his stay in Erbil in 1975. He lived in Iran from 1982 to 1984. After failing sociology at the
University of Tehran The University of Tehran (UT) or Tehran University (, ) is a public collegiate university in Iran, and the oldest and most prominent Iranian university located in Tehran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as ...
, he worked as an imam. He studied forensic sciences among Sunni scholars, and moved to Pakistan in 1985 to study. While in Iran, Mullah Krekar worked with a number of Kurds in Tehran to establish a jihadist organization against the regime of Saddam Hussein. He blamed the failure of the project on the Iranian government. He settled in
Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
, where he studied until the
Halabja massacre The Halabja massacre ( ) took place in Iraqi Kurdistan on 16 March 1988, when thousands of Kurds were killed by a large-scale Iraqi chemical weapons program, Iraqi chemical attack. A targeted attack in Halabja, it was carried out during the Anfa ...
, which led him to quit his studies and work as a relief volunteer at camps in Iran and Turkey. Krekar claimed that
Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
-affiliated jihadists in
Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...
raised over a hundred thousand dollars for those affected. He returned to Iraqi Kurdistan during the
1991 Iraqi uprisings The 1991 Iraqi uprisings were ethnic and religious uprisings against Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime in Iraq that were led by Shia Arabs and Kurds. The uprisings lasted from March to April 1991 after a ceasefire following the end of th ...
and joined the
Kurdistan Islamic Movement The Kurdistan Islamic Movement (, in the Kurmanji dialect) is a Kurdish Islamist party founded in 1987 by mufti Osman Abdulaziz and several other Kurdish Islamic scholars who were all part of the non-political "Union of Religious Scholars" g ...
led by
Osman Abdulaziz Mullah Osman Abdulaziz () was a Kurds, Kurdish Islamic scholar and politician in Iraqi Kurdistan. He created the Kurdistan Islamic Movement. He was famous for Kurdish mujahideen, declaring Jihad against Saddam Hussein's government. Life Osman A ...
. He became the military commander of the Kurdistan Islamic Movement until 2001 when he left it to form the Islah group, later merging with Jund al-Islam to form Ansar al-Islam. He also seized control of the Islamic Emirate of Kurdistan from the IMK.


Krekar in Norway


Proceedings against Krekar

Krekar was born to a religious
Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...
family in the city of
Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah or Slemani (; ), is a city in the east of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and is the capital of the Sulaymaniyah Governorate. It is surrounded by the Azmar (Ezmer), Goizha (Goyje) and Qaiwan (Qeywan) Mountains in the northeast, Bara ...
in northern
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
. In August 2002, while Krekar was in
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
, the
Norwegian government The politics of Norway take place in the framework of a parliamentary, representative democratic constitutional monarchy. Executive power is exercised by the Council of State, the cabinet, led by the prime minister of Norway. Legislative power ...
revoked his refugee status on the grounds that he had traveled back to his homeland and spent long periods there. Krekar was arrested in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
at
Schiphol Airport Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport (, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands, and is one of the major hubs for the SkyTeam airline alliance. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municip ...
near
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
in September 2002, after
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
denied him entry and sent him back to Europe. He was interviewed by
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
agents (at Krekar's request, in an attempt to clear his and his group's name); no extradition request was made. He was deported to Norway in January 2003. In February 2003 the Norwegian government ordered Krekar to be deported to
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
, but as of July 2009 the order had not been implemented because of the security environment in Iraq, and the risk that Krekar could face the
death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...
there, as Norway will not deport people in these circumstances. Krekar has unsuccessfully challenged the expulsion order in court, with the order being confirmed in September 2005. Norway's government has said that the new government to be elected in Iraq in December 2005 might permit discussion on whether Krekar's expulsion order can be implemented. On March 21, 2003 his arrest was ordered by
Økokrim The National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime () is Norway's central unit for fighting economic and environmental crimes. The unit, created in 1989, has its main office in Oslo. Økokrim is both a ...
, the Norwegian
law enforcement agency A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...
for financial crime, to ensure he did not leave the country while accusations that he had financed
terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
attacks using Norway as a base were investigated. Court proceedings against Krekar were however dropped when it proved impossible to prove his connections with the terrorist attacks staged in Iraq by Ansar al-Islam during his leadership. His term as leader ended. The
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
government has declared Ansar al-Islam a terrorist group, but Krekar denies that it was during the time he headed it, and says he no longer does. While Krekar has not been found guilty of anything, a number of his opinions have met little sympathy; he was once recorded claiming that
Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...
is the "jewel in the crown of
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
". and that he was proud of what
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (; , "Father of Musab, of Zarqa"; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel Nazal al-Khalayleh (), was a Jordanian militant jihadist who ran a training camp in Afghanistan. He became known after going to Iraq a ...
"has done and that he has become a martyr". In September 2005 the Iraqi Justice Minister Abdel Hussein Shandal said that Krekar was wanted in Iraq and should be tried there. About the
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy The Muhammad cartoons controversy (or Muhammad cartoons crisis, ) began after the Danish newspaper published twelve editorial cartoons on 30 September 2005 depicting Muhammad, the founder of Islam, in what it said was a response to the deb ...
, he said to the Norwegian media "This is a declaration of war against of our religion, our faith, and our civilization. We Muslims are ready for this." Krekar told the
Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...
magazine Awene that he wants to return to Iraq to fight openly against the Iraqi government and the coalition, but that he lacked travel documents from the Norwegian government. He confirmed to a Norwegian newspaper that he had been correctly quoted. The Norwegian minister of labour and migration, Bjarne HÃ¥kon Hanssen, responded that Krekar could leave at any time and that he would be given "travel documents within the day. He'll also get money for airline tickets, taxi cab, and the whole deal. If he really wants to go, that is." On December 7, 2006, the
United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the Treasury, national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current United States federal executive departments, U.S. government departments. ...
designated Mullah Krekar as one of five individuals providing financial support to terrorist organizations. In a statement he is accused of providing funds for Ansar al-Sunnah, an active Iraqi terror-organization descended from Ansar al-Islam. The press release states that "This designation freezes any assets the designees may have under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits all financial and commercial transactions by any U.S. person with the designees". Mullah Krekar was later that day added to the
United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
list of individuals belonging to or associated with the Al-Qaeda organization. All member states of the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
are obliged to freeze assets and prevent entry or transit through their territories with regard to the individuals included on the list. Anders Romarheim, a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies, believes that the placement of Mullah Krekar on this list is a United States strategy to put pressure on Norway. On November 8, 2007, the Supreme Court of Norway ruled that Krekar is a threat to Norway's national security, thus upholding the February 2003 decision by the government to deport him to Iraq. It is still unclear when Krekar will be deported due to Iraq's death penalty laws. Some politicians asked for Krekar to be put in jail until he is deported.


Threat against Mariwan Halabjaee

In an audio file published on the Kurdish website Renesans.nu during September 2008, Krekar allegedly threatened to kill
Mariwan Halabjaee Mariwan Halabjaee or Mariwan Halabjayi (,;Alternate spellings: Mariwan, Marywan, Marewan / Halabjaee, Halabjay, Halabjayee, Halabjaye, Halabjayi, Halabjai. born 9 June 1963) is an Iraqi Kurdish writer, public speaker, and human rights activist. H ...
, the Iraqi Kurdish author of Sex, Sharia and Women in the History of Islam, who also resided in Norway. "I swear that we will not live if you live. Either you go before us, or we go before you," said Krekar. Krekar compared Halabjaee with
Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie ( ; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British and American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern wor ...
and
Ayaan Hirsi Ali Ayaan Hirsi Ali (; born 13 November 1969) is a Dutch and American writer, activist, conservative thinker and former politician. She is a critic of Islam and an advocate for the rights and self-determination of Muslim women, opposing forced mar ...
. In February 2012, Krekar confirmed in the
Oslo District Court Oslo District Court () is a district court located in Oslo, Norway. This court is based at the Oslo Courthouse in the city of Oslo. The court serves the entire city of Oslo and the court is subordinate to the Borgarting Court of Appeal. As the ...
that he had issued a twenty-page
fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...
against Halabjaee.
*
*
*
*
*
The
fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...
was sent to several hundred
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
ic scholars around the world. While Krekar said he thought he might be able to "guarantee the safety" of Halabjaee, Krekar confirmed that his
fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...
"implies" that it is "permissible" to kill Halabjaee in
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
or anywhere else. Krekar compared Halabjaee to Theo van Gogh, the film director who was killed by an Islamist in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
in 2004.


Terrorism charges against Krekar

On July 12, 2011, terrorism charges were filed against Krekar for a death threat he uttered against ex-minister
Erna Solberg Erna Solberg (; born 24 February 1961) is a Norwegian politician and the current Leader of the Opposition. She served as the prime minister of Norway from 2013 to 2021, and has been the leader of the Conservative Party of Norway, Conservative Part ...
during a news conference in June 2010.


Allegations of a U.S. plan to seize Krekar

In 2003, agents for the
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
, including Cynthia Dame Logan and Gregory Asherleighs, were sent to Norway.translationmirror
/ref>translationmirror
/ref> They arrived directly after the abduction of Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr from
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
, Italy. A few days before their arrival, Mullah Krekar's lawyer, Brynjar Meling, asked for police protection of Krekar. The
Norwegian Intelligence Service The Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS) or () is a Norway, Norwegian military intelligence agency under the Chief of Defence (Norway), Chief of Defence and the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Defence. History Olav Njølstad says tha ...
admits it had knowledge of the agents' visit to Norway, and Meling confirms he had heard rumours that Krekar was to be kidnapped and transferred to Guantanamo Bay. If the operation was not approved beforehand by Norway it would have been a violation of Norwegian law. Mullah Krekar was not kidnapped. According to an article in ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
'', a Pentagon official proposed inserting a US Navy SEAL team to engage in a "snatch rope" operation against Krekar; however, the plan was allegedly rejected because a shooting confrontation between the SEALs and Norwegian police would have triggered a diplomatic disaster between
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
and the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. However, a week later the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' quoted a high ranking intelligence official who claimed that U.S. special forces were in fact inserted in a European country allied with the United States through NATO, in order to carry out a snatch operation under strikingly similar circumstances to the Krekar case. The revelation led to suspicion that the plan was in fact not cancelled, as the Pentagon had stated. According to the Norwegian newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad, which was the original source of the CIA agents' mission in Oslo, the U.S. special forces, most likely Navy SEALs, had been monitoring a "militant leader" over a period of time, and were in place ready to carry out the snatch. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Pentagon kept the allied country's government in the dark about the mission, which apparently failed or was aborted.


Facebook group collecting donations for the assassination of Mullah Krekar

In November 2007, Norwegian newspapers published the story that a Facebook group had been set up, dedicated to collecting money which would eventually go to an assassin, should one be located. The group statement started with ''"For the murder of Norway's enemy #1"''. The 28-year-old man who started the group went on to publicize not only his full name, but also a bank account number where money could be deposited. The group had approximately 400 members when Krekar's lawyer deemed the threat ''"serious"'' and said he ''"hoped the police would investigate the people involved"''. The 28-year-old told Norwegian media that the statement was facetious and thus should not be taken literally.


Assassination attempt

During the night of 24 January 2010, 3 shots were fired through one of the windows of Krekar's apartment in
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
. The attack was investigated as an assassination attempt. Krekar's son-in-law was mildly injured by one of the bullets. Kurdish groups were cited as possible or likely perpetrators.


Decision to leave Norway

In early January 2012, Krekar announced in an interview with a Kurdish online newspaper Rudaw from the Kurdish Autonomous Region that he would be leaving Norway and returning to the Kurdistan region soon, saying "My return to the Kurdistan region has become a major political issue." He also predicted that, "My death will cost Norwegian society. If, for example,
Erna Solberg Erna Solberg (; born 24 February 1961) is a Norwegian politician and the current Leader of the Opposition. She served as the prime minister of Norway from 2013 to 2021, and has been the leader of the Conservative Party of Norway, Conservative Part ...
(Norwegian Prime Minister) throws me out of the country and I die as a result, she will suffer the same fate."


Conviction for death threats

On 26 March 2012, Krekar was sentenced to 5 years in prison for making death threats. He appealed. On 26 March 2012, Krekar was re-arrested for making threats against two Kurds and the Conservative Party leader
Erna Solberg Erna Solberg (; born 24 February 1961) is a Norwegian politician and the current Leader of the Opposition. She served as the prime minister of Norway from 2013 to 2021, and has been the leader of the Conservative Party of Norway, Conservative Part ...
. On August 29, 2012, Oslo District Court tacked an additional year onto the five Mullah Krekar had been sentenced to in March 2012.


Decision on appeal

On 6 December 2012, the Court of Appeal acquitted Krekar of charges of incitement to terrorism, but found Krekar guilty of four counts of intimidation under aggravating circumstances. The Court of Appeal ordered that Krekar pay 130,000 kroner in damages compensation to each of the three Kurds he threatened, and to serve two years and ten months in prison, less the 255 days he was in custody.


Political advocacy

For the 2013 Norwegian parliamentary election Krekar called on Muslims in Norway to vote for either the Labour Party, the Socialist Left Party or the Red Party. He explained that since there was not yet enough Muslims in Norway to form a separate political bloc, Muslims had many strategies in common with Norwegian leftists.


Relocation

On 20 January 2015, it was revealed that Krekar would be forcibly relocated () to the village of
Kyrksæterøra Kyrksæterøra is the administrative center of Heim Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The village was known as the "white town of Hemnfjorden" at one time because there were only white houses. It is located at the end of Hemnfjorden, abo ...
in
Trøndelag Trøndelag (; or is a county and coextensive with the Trøndelag region (also known as ''Midt-Norge'' or ''Midt-Noreg,'' "Mid-Norway") in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County (); in 1804 the county was ...
. This decision was made by the
Police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
based on an order from the
National Police Directorate National Police Directorate () is a government agency subordinate to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security which heads the Norwegian Police Service. The directorate is led by the National Police Commissioner (Politidirektør), who since 20 ...
.


February 2015 arrest

On 20 February 2015, it was reported that Krekar had been arrested. Krekar is quoted in this article saying that when a cartoonist "tramples on our dignity, our principles and our faith, he must die." The aforementioned article also reports that, "Krekar, who was only freed from prison late last month, was arrested Thursday night on accusations of inciting crime, police said." Therefore, the primary reason for Krekar's arrest by the Norwegian Police was the allegation that he incited crime by his statements. The article cites no other reason for Krekar's arrest. Krekar's statements refer to the Charlie Hebdo newspaper whose cartoonists were gunned down in Paris for allegedly drawing cartoons that Kreker refers to. The attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris was described by the French President François Hollande who said, "An act of exceptional barbarism has been committed in Paris against a newspaper. A paper, in other words, an organ of free speech."


November 2015 arrest

On 13 November 2015 it was reported that Krekar was arrested in prison"Jihadist cell in Europe 'sought recruits for Iraq and Syria.'"
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
Retrieved November 13, 2015.
in Norway on 11 November "in a coordinated police swoop on Islamist militants planning attacks." He and 14 other Iraqi Kurds and one Kosovar Albanian, were "arrested in countries across Europe in collaboration with police from Italy, the UK, Norway, Finland, Germany and Switzerland." The
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
reported that the raids targeted Rawti Shax, an
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...
-linked jihadist network suspected to be led by Krekar. According to the investigation, Krekar pledged allegiance to ISIL in 2014.


November 2016 arrest

On 23 November 2016 the Norwegian Police Security Service arrested Krekar in order to secure his extradition to Italy. 30 November 2016, it was reported that Italy had withdrawn their extradition claim, and Krekar was released from prison.


July 2019 arrest

In July 2019, it was reported that Krekar was arrested in Oslo. His arrest was requested by Italian authorities as they suspected that he has led Rawti Shax, an offshoot on Ansar al-Islam. A court in Bolzano, Italy sentenced him to 12 years in prison in absentia. Italy has requested his extradition with the intent of deporting him to Iraqi Kurdistan. Krekar has denied the charges against him, calling the case "fake".


Italy

He is being held at a prison in
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
(as of 2021).


Rawti Shax terrorist cell trial

In 2019, Krekar was found to be the leader of the jihadi defence cell Rawti Shax and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The guilty verdict and the sentence were upheld in a trial in
Bolzano Bolzano ( ; ; or ) is the capital city of South Tyrol (officially the province of Bolzano), Northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third largest in historical Tyrol. The ...
.


Extradition to Italy

On 26 March 2020, it was announced that Mullah Krekar had been extradited from Norway to Italy, where he will be sentenced to jail for leading a jihadist network. His lawyer Brynjar Meling was deeply upset about this turn of events, citing his client's poor health (which include both
diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
and
high blood pressure Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms itself. It is, however, a major ri ...
), the coronavirus pandemic in Italy and the subpar condition of the Rebibbia prison, which had recently seen both a mutiny and several deaths owing to the
COVID-19 virus Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the respiratory illness responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had the provisional name 2019 novel coro ...
. He as previouslyheld in the Badu 'e Carros prison in
Nuoro Nuoro ( ; ) is a city and (municipality) in central-eastern Sardinia, Italy, situated on the slopes of Mount Ortobene. It is the capital of the province of Nuoro. With a population of 36,347 (2011), it is the sixth-largest city in Sardinia. Its ...
,
Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...
.


Krekar's views

In November 2009, controversy erupted when Krekar in an interview with the Arab television channel al-Hiwar said that for there is no legitimate Islamic state with the exception of the
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
. He claimed that if a caliphate were to be established,
Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...
,
Ayman al-Zawahiri Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri (; 19 June 195131 July 2022) was an Egyptian-born pan-Islamism, pan-Islamist militant and physician who served as the second general emir of al-Qaeda from June 2011 until Killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri, his dea ...
, or
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (born 1 August 1949) is an Afghan politician, and former mujahideen leader and drug trafficker. He is the founder and current leader of the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin political party, so called after Mohammad Yunus Khalis spl ...
should be leader. As a result, the Progress Party continued their call for the imprisonment of Krekar, and the Labour Party stated for the first time they would form a new task force which would examine if people officially labeled as "danger to national security" could be imprisoned. Azzam Tamimi, who interviewed Mullah Krekar, also said that he felt Mullah Krekar was mistreated by secular Kurds in Norway. Mullah Krekar is significantly nationalist. He said he would support Kurdish independence "wholeheartedly" even though he has lost faith in Kurdish parties, but he "has no quarrel with any political party". He also stated that many of his relatives and friends are members of the KDP and the PUK, and that he had no issues with either party. Hoshyar Zebari announced that the
Kurdistan Regional Government The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is the official executive body of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. The cabinet is selected by the majority party or list who also select the prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdish poli ...
had no issues with Mullah Krekar, and did not charge him. In 2001, Mullah Krekar seized control of the unstable Islamic Emirate of Kurdistan and declared independence. The emirate was treated as a Kurdish state under Islamic law, rather than an Islamic state composed of Kurds. Mullah Krekar claimed that the Muslim community criticized Kurds for being secular, yet also failed to support Kurds who fought from a religious standpoint, such as Sheikh Said, Mahmud Barzinji, and himself. When the Islamic Emirate of Kurdistan was dissolved, the majority of Ansar al-Islam fled to Iran and lived among local Kurds. Mullah Krekar refused to work with Iraqi jihadists, as many of them were former Ba'athist officers. He called on Ansar al-Islam to be lenient on captured PUK soldiers, claiming that they were still Kurds and had nothing to do with the PUK leaders. He questioned PUK commitment to Kurdish nationalism, claiming that no Kurdish nationalist would invite the United States to defeat the only independent Kurdish state. Mullah Krekar also claimed that if the Islamic Emirate of Kurdistan lived longer, an Ansar al-Islam operation against Turkey would have been inevitable. In May 2019, due to increased tensions between the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and Iran, Krekar stated in a war between the two he would support Iran, saying it was like supporting
Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...
in a war between them and
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, despite being Shiite and actively fighting Sunni groups in
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
and
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
.


In popular culture

In November 2007, Mullah Krekar was the subject of a half-hour investigative report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC-TV) international affairs program ''Foreign Correspondent''. The report, titled "Norwegian Jihad", was also the centrepiece of a one-hour special report on Norwegian State Television. "Norwegian Jihad" was also broadcast throughout the Asia Pacific region on ABC-TV's satellite service "Australia Network". In July 2009, Mullah Krekar was one of the subjects of the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's pilot episode of the show ''The Wanted'', describing him as "responsible for killing hundreds of westerners". In early 2012, the Netflix series ''Lillyhammer'' featured a scene in which a Norwegian police officer gets into an argument with an Arab immigrant over whether the show ''24'' is unfair to Arabs, and when his partner intercedes, he complains that the immigrant "is giving me the whole Mullah Krekar routine over here".


Bibliography

* (2003). ''Med egne ord'' ("In My Own Words"). Autobiography. Oslo: Aschehoug. 246 pp. . Translated from
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
.


See also

* Paul Moran (photojournalist) *
Khider Kosari Khider Mohammad Rasheed, better known as Khider Kosari (; 1969–1993) was a Kurdish Islamist rebel and poet. Early life Kosari was born in 1969 in Ranya, Kurdistan Region and was not nationalistic or religious during his upbringing, but durin ...


References


External links


"The CIA and The Militant Who Eluded It in Norway"
– By Craig Whitlock (journalist),
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
, December 4, 2006.
mullah Krekar Interview
( WMV) – By Jonathan Miller (reporter), Ivan O'Mahoney (producer), Insight News Television
"Krekar contradicts his own defense"
– By Inger Anne Olsen, ''
Aftenposten (; ; stylized as in the masthead) is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation as well as Norway's newspaper of record. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 daily copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen ...
'', 9 January 2004
mullah Krekar: Leader of Kurdish Ansar al-Islam
– By Trevor Stanley, in Perspectives on World History and Current Events (PWHCE), 2005
"Krekar can be expelled soon"
– ''Aftenposten/ NTB'', 16 March 2006
"Krekar threatens Norway"
– ''Aftenposten'', 06 Sep 2005
"mullah Krekar linked to pro al-Qaida sites"
– ''Aftenposten'', 09 Oct 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Krekar, Mullah 1956 births 20th-century criminals 20th-century Kurdish people Living people Autobiographers Iraqi expatriates in Norway Iraqi Islamists Iraqi Kurdistani politicians Iraqi Kurdish people Iraqi Muslim activists Iraqi people imprisoned abroad Iraqi refugees Iraqi Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Islamic terrorism and Norway Kurdish Islamists People extradited to Italy People extradited from Norway People imprisoned on terrorism charges Prisoners and detainees of Norway Refugees in Norway Sunni Islamists