It has been over a month since the November 13 Paris terrorist suicide bombings and mass shootings and the subsequent warzone-like shutdown of Brussels, and Europe was just starting to emerge from its terrorized shell.
However, for a continent which wants to "use global issues as excuses to extend its power", issues such as terrorism in the words of the infamous 2008 AIG presentation, which serve as an "excuse for greater control over police and judicial issues; increase extent of surveillance" a return to normalcy is unacceptable.
And since fear of the unknown must constant by stoked in order to justify any government intervention in personal privacy and public affairs, Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet reported that two waves of Islamic State terrorists are said to have been trained for terror attacks in Europe - either for suicide bombings, or for Paris-style handgun attacks.
According to the paper, the first wave is said to already have travelled to Europe. The cell was trained for attacks in Europe and originally consisted of 300 fighters. 28 of the 300 have lost their lives in Syria - in bombings, firefights, or from other causes. Dagbladet is told that the remaining 272 fighters have travelled to Europe. The sleeper cell is said to be instructed to lay low. Dagbladet is aware that other sources have another estimate of the number of IS terrorists in Europe. This estimate is below 100.
The second wave is still with the terror group in Syria - after having received training in a militant camp between Sinjar and Mosul in Iraq. The inbound cell consists of 150 fighters who are still in Syria. They are said to have had training in a militant camp between Sinjar and Mosul in Iraq. 112 of the 150 have completed their training. Approximately two weeks ago several of the 112 travelled from the militant camp, to the IS controlled city of Deir el Zour in Syria. Dagbladet is told the fighters travelled to Syria using a total of 11 cars.
It is unclear if the cars were Ford F250 trucks or purchased from Texas car auctions by Turkish middlemen.
From Deir el Zour they travelled on to Raqqa - IS' most important city in Syria, and the «capital» of the terrorist group?s so-called «caliphate», and the neighbouring city of Tabaqah. A German IS fighter is said to be a leader in this group.
Dagbladet's source claims that IS fighters trained for terror attacks in Europe have used this building in the IS «capital» in Syria. Picture: Private / Dagbladet
Dagbladet has obtained the information from a source with deep insight into IS in Syria. The source has previously given information which proved to be correct.
According to Dagbladet's source, the first wave of fighters was trained in Raqqa. There they were trained to perform two different types of terror attacks, Dagbladet is told.
- One group is said to be trained to become martyrs through suicide attacks. Dagbladet?s source describes these fighters as being «completely brainwashed».
- The second group is said to be trained to plan attacks using handguns and suicide belts.
Both methods were used during the Paris attacks on November 13.
The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) confirmed to Dagbladet that they are familiar with the information.
"PST is aware that similar information exists. I do not want to go into more detail about the information PST possesses, regarding the information that Dagbladet has obtained" Trond Hugubakken, head of communications at PST, says.
"Intelligence is, and will always be, uncertain. Intelligence work is for a big part about making uncertain information more certain. The stream of terror related information is vast. Some of this information is correct, lots of it is incorrect. I do not want to go into more detail about the information PST possesses, regarding the information that Dagbladet has obtained: Hugubakken added.
"The amount of information usually increases considerably related to, and in the aftermath of, terror attacks. This was also the case with the terror attacks in Paris in November. PST is continuously working to verify and analyse the information we receive, in order to supply the Norwegian authorities with the best possible foundation on which to decide how to relate to the threat situation we are facing all the time."
And now that Europeans are again solidly worked up with angst and concerns that there is a massive ISIS sleeper cell among them, somewhere, and the it is best to leave all this surveillance stuff to the government (a government which will soon request every last trace of essential Liberty in order to provide a little temporary Safety, Ben Franklin's warning to the contrary nowithstanding), it is time to ease back just a little:
Dagbladet has no concrete information about possible attacks on Norwegian soil.
Surely, if that changes, the Dagbladet "source" will promptly advise.