Why did "Al-Quaeda" confuse Norway with Denmark?

posted by ewing2001 on Thursday May 22, @06:33PM

Norway takes no chances after being named al-Qaeda target

Usually US-Citizens have been teased when it's on their world geographical knowledge. Interestingly, official middle east terror group "Al Quaeda", recently "reformed", had obviously the same problem:

They confused Norway with Denmark.

The CIA claimed, that Al-Zawahiri, Bin Laden's former "No.2" was behind the latest video threat.

However this seems to be odd:

As Scotsman Online correctly pointed out, "Zawahiri, an Egyptian national, ought to know the difference between the countries; he applied for asylum in Denmark in 1991 and published a Mujahideen newsletter from an office in a Copenhagen suburb."

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Norway takes no chances after being named al-Qaeda target

ANTHEA PITT IN OSLO

NORWAY was taking al-Qaeda’s threat to attack the country seriously yesterday - despite the suspicion that the terror group’s number two had confused the country with its Scandinavian neighbour, Denmark.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden’s deputy, in an audiotape released on Wednesday, told Iraqis they were "not alone" and urged Muslims to target the interests of the United States, Britain and Australia, as well as Norway.

Norway was not involved in the Iraqi war coalition and has cherished its reputation as a Middle East peacemaker. Denmark, however, with Poland and Spain, signed up to the "coalition of the willing".

"Why Norway?" cried the Oslo tabloid, Verdens Gang, on its front page yesterday.

"We are very surprised. I have no idea why we were named," a foreign ministry spokesman said last night.

The seriousness of the response to a potentially deadly threat could not be mistaken, however. The US embassy closed and armed police patrolled nearby.

Norway has long been self-conscious of its image as the "little brother" of Scandinavia. Norwegian and Danish are virtually identical languages and the country was ruled by Denmark and then Sweden until early in the 20th century.

Norwegian surprise at the threat was mirrored in Denmark, which the US ambassador in Copenhagen concluded was the true target.

Leif Andersen, writing for the independent Dankse Nyheder, asked: "Would a fanatical organisation send out a message saying, ‘Excuse us, we’re sorry, we made a mistake’? Or would they stay focused on revenge and say that their leader is always right and that Norway really is an enemy?

"It seems that Zawahiri has proved to be the Danish state’s biggest humiliation - we do not even make his list of ultimate enemies."

In Oslo, however, Stein Tonneson, the director of the Peace Research Institute, remained unconvinced that Zawahiri had slipped up with his geography. "I have twisted my brain trying to find an answer," he said last night. "After rejecting most theories, I am left with this: al-Qaeda knows a local group is ready to attack a Norwegian target."

Zawahiri, an Egyptian national, ought to know the difference between the countries; he applied for asylum in Denmark in 1991 and published a Mujahideen newsletter from an office in a Copenhagen suburb.

However, some analysts believe that that alone suggests the threat to Norway is real.

They cite other reasons too. Norwegian special forces joined the western campaign in Afghanistan. Furthermore, the country has extensive oil interests.

Another theory suggests that Norway’s pending prosecution of Mullah Krekar, the alleged leader of the terror group Ansar al-Islam, in northern Iraq, is to blame.

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Expert questions authenticity of al-Qaeda tape

Friday May 23, 2003

COPENHAGEN: A Danish terrorism expert on Thursday questioned the authenticity of a taped message attributed to al-Qaeda which threatened Norway, saying the speaker meant Denmark but made a mistake.

Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, on Wednesday called on Muslims to carry out more suicide attacks against Western targets, citing Norway alongside the United States, Britain and Australia, in a taped message attributed to him. Terrorism expert Lars Erslev Andersen said he believed the audiotape "was not authentic", saying the speaker meant to name Denmark, a staunch US ally in the war on Iraq along with Britain and Australia.

Andersen said Al-Zawahiri would never have confused the two Scandinavian countries, casting doubt on the identity of the speaker. "I think he (the speaker) must be thinking of Denmark or Poland, which participated in the war on Iraq, and not Norway, which did not take part," he said.

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