Krekar requests travel documents for Italy – NRK Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country

Mulla Krekar, or Najumuddin Faraj Ahmad, as he was actually called, was visited by two police officers (PST) who handed over a letter from the judge to Bolzano, in northern Italy. The court granted Krekar a period of 10 days to obtain the necessary travel documents from the Norwegian authorities. He wants to understand that, "said his Norwegian lawyer.

– will cooperate

He does what he has been told. Then we will proceed with an assessment when we see if he has received travel documents indicating how he will behave otherwise, "said Brynjar Meling.

– Is Krekar interested in traveling to Italy?

"It all depends on the circumstances, he himself wants the case to be re-established in Norway, he has nothing to hide and if the Italians still believe that this is a case against him, he declared himself ready to explain Oslo tingrett by videoconference, he cooperates as he has always done.

Krekar lives in Oslo and currently has no criminal cases in Norway. He has no restrictions as to his place of residence and can move almost freely in Norway, but he has no passport or other valid travel documents.

Neither Krekar nor any of the other five defendants were on the scene. The trial against them began in Bolzano on 8 October. Krekar is accused of leading an international terrorist network linked to the IS, which he refuses. Krekar thinks that they only wanted to create a Kurdish legal political party.

Valid valid travel documents

On the second day of the trial, police officer Geir Øvstedal of the PST testified about his contribution to the Italian investigation conducted in Norway. The court then found that Krekar had no opportunity to leave Norway and therefore had a valid absence. The last three days of the trial have been postponed until December 10 to clarify this point.

The judge wrote a letter that the officials of the PST should give to Krekar in Norway. In the letter, he was asked to attempt to obtain valid travel documents from the Norwegian authorities.

In December 2006, Krekar was placed on the UN terrorism list. He therefore has no legal travel document. In order to travel to Italy to attend the trial, he must be removed from this list.

Krekar previously informed his Italian defender that he wished to have the guarantee that he would return to Norway before traveling to Italy to explain himself.

Will call the former secretary of state to testify

NRK knows that, on behalf of his client, Brynjar Meling also asked Italian defender Krekar, Enrica Franzini, to call several witnesses to the trial in Italy. In an email, Meling asks that the former Secretary of State for Justice and Emergency Affairs, Vidar Brein-Karlsen (Frp), his former Italian colleague, the secretary of 39; State Cosimo Ferri and the former Norwegian Ambassador to Italy, Bjørn Grydeland, are heard.

The reason is that NRK revealed that the three men had attended a meeting in Rome where a possible extradition of Krekar had been discussed on July 7, 2014. It was a year and a half before Krekar and several other people were agreed in the framework of a coordinated European action carried out in November 2015, as part of the Italian case.

"It is quite natural to ask Brein-Karlsen and his Italian colleague to call witnesses in court to reveal this political game, because Krekar believes that it is a matter of course. case and not that he committed a punishable act in Norway or Italy, says Meling.

Brein-Karlsen and his Italian colleague remained in contact by e-mail after the meeting.

– What do you think was happening at this meeting, since you think this has something to do with this case?

"I noticed that after the meeting, they had gotten a tone so good that they were anxious to take a bowl of beer when Krekar was in Italy and that the case was over." said Meling.

Meling has repeatedly stated that the Norwegian inquiry politically motivated the authorities to set up the Party of Progress electoral forces to get Krekar out of the country.

Krekar's lawyer thinks that Brein-Karlsen can testify in Italian court by video link from Oslo Tingrett or by the Italians who registered him in Norway.

Vidar Brein-Karlsen resigned as Secretary of State in the Department of Justice and Emergency Affairs in January. He responds to this in a text message to the NRK:

"I did not know that Krekar's lawyer wanted me to be a witness to this case before the media realized that I do not have any comment on it in addition to Wait for a formal request.