Largest attack on Norway since World War II

The moral equivalence apologists (and Chris Matthews) for Islamic terrorism who have long cited Timothy McVeigh, Jared Loughner, abortion bombers, the Spanish Inquisition, Crusaders, Nazis as somehow examples of right-wing Christian fanaticism and hate-mongering have finally got an actual real example of it:

“What we know is that he is right wing and he is Christian fundamentalist,” deputy police chief Roger Andresen said Saturday morning at a televised news conference. “We have not been able to link him up to an anti-Islamic group.” He said that the suspect had not been arrested before, and that police were unsure if he had acted alone.

“We find him responsible for both of the attacks,” Andresen said. “At the moment we have no other people to arrest.”

Norwegian media identified the suspect as Anders Behring Breivik and posted pictures of the blond and blue-eyed Norwegian. A security official speaking on the condition of anonymity because the official was not allowed to release the name publicly said that the name was correct.

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He said that police were still trying to piece together the suspect’s motives.

“The politically motivated violence that Norway has seen in the modern age has come from the extreme rightist side,” Stoere said. “This is a phenomenon that we have addressed very seriously.”

So not all the facts are in, yet there’s no apparent rush to judgment here is there? I’m not questioning that the facts thus far are wrong here- just the double-standard in how whenever it is an Islamic extremist or homegrown terrorist involved, we are cautioned not to jump to conclusions.

For those who initially suspected Islamic terror and “Norway’s 9/11”, it sounds as though they weren’t alone: Jihadi forums also jumped at the thought of claiming attaboy responsibility, in glee:

But many residents of Oslo said the attacks would probably have a deep impact. For years, the most fortified building in town has been the U.S. Embassy — the subject of eye-rolling from those who thought the security measures were unnecessary.

“This is one of those events that will change everything,” Christopher Wright, 35, of Oslo said by telephone. He was at a bakery a thousand feet from the government buildings when the explosion happened.

Several analysts said a coordinated attack of such a caliber would have required sophistication and preparation.

Chatter on online jihadist forums praising the attacks started almost immediately afterward, terrorism analysts said, but claims of responsibility were soon retracted.

Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami praised the bombing. But instead of Norway’s 9/11, what we have is their version of an Oklahoma City Bombing.

Norway seems woefully ill-prepared to prevent and handle terror attacks:

A memo written in 2009, describes the country’s security service as “in over its head” and adds “it simply cannot keep up.”

Separate cables state that the country felt “immune” from terrorism and that groups such as Al Qaeda were “not a direct threat”.

One memo describes how US authorities had to “press” their Norwegian counterparts to take terrorism seriously and says there was a feeling “that terrorism happens elsewhere, not in peaceful Norway.”

Talking about an attempt by the Police Security Service (PST) to track one particular suspected Al Qaeda terror cell, a cable written by the US Ambassador to Norway, Barry White, describes investigators as “committed, competent and co-operative, generally”.

But he goes on to describe how they refused the help of the UK authorities to put surveillance on a potential suspect and adds: “Not only will they not put their own resources on him…but they also just turned down the visiting UK intel service’s offer of two twelve-person surveillance teams.”

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A memo written in 2008 shows how the US felt that Norway was not awake to the possibility of a potential terrorist attack. The cable reads: “We repeatedly press Norwegian authorities to take terrorism seriously.

“We will seek to build on this momentum to fight the still-prevalent feeling that terrorism happens elsewhere, not in peaceful Norway.”

And a cable written just last year adds: “The PST still viewed Denmark as more of a target than Norway, for reasons very specific to the cartoon controversy.”

While Islamists and jihadis are probably celebrating, what Christian right-wingers are out there, celebrating this senseless loss of life?

Prayers and condolences for Norway and the family of the victims of this horrible attack.

Also blogging:
The Anchoress
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The Jawa Report