Overview: Norway's internal security service continued to assess that Islamist terrorism remains the primary threat to the security of Norway, although they note that concerns of right-wing extremism are growing. A small but outspoken group of violent Islamist extremists in and around Oslo remained active in online fora, although they did not conduct any attacks. In 2016, authorities convicted several Norwegians for supporting or aiding ISIS. The flow of Norwegian citizens or residents who traveled to Syria to fight on behalf of ISIS decreased in 2016 to less than a handful of known cases, and Police Security Service (PST) officials continued to assess publicly that approximately 100 individuals have traveled as foreign terrorist fighters in total. Norway and the United States maintained good collaboration on counterterrorism.

Norway is a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. The government co-sponsored UN Security Council resolution 2178 on foreign terrorist fighters, and is contributing to the Coalition's five lines of effort. Norway contributes to two military missions in the Coalition: approximately 60 military personnel are deployed to Jordan as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, and approximately 50 military trainers are in a capacity-building mission for Iraqi security forces in Erbil. Norway provided approximately US $332 million in 2016 to address the humanitarian crises in Iraq and Syria.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: Terrorism is a criminal offense in Norway. In 2013, Norway changed its laws to make it easier to prosecute cases of material support for terrorism. In addition to increasing maximum prison sentences to 30 years for serious terrorism offenses, the 2013 laws make it illegal to conduct or plan to conduct a terrorist attack, receive terrorism-related training, or provide material support to a terrorist organization. In June 2016, Norway passed new legislation criminalizing traveling, as well as the intent to travel, to fight on behalf of a non-state actor.

The PST is responsible for domestic security, including counterterrorism activities. A joint analysis cell, the Joint Counter Terrorism Center, with participants from the PST and the Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS), which is the external security service, became fully operational in 2014. Both the PST and the NIS have devoted significant resources to identifying, tracking, and taking action against Norwegian citizens intending to travel to and from Syria and Iraq to engage in fighting. The PST and NIS maintain an evolving list of those who have traveled to Syria and Iraq, those who have returned, and those who have expressed an interest in traveling to the two countries.

Parliament approved an agreement on the sharing of fingerprint information in criminal investigations with the European Union (EU), the parties to the Pruem Convention, as well as with the United States under the Preventing and Combating Serious Crimes (PCSC) data-sharing agreement, in May 2016. In September 2016, Norway hosted an FBI Criminal Justice Information Systems technical team to agree on steps for the implementation of the PCSC agreement. Norway continued to explore an agreement on sharing passenger name recognition (PNR) data with the EU, and is simultaneously developing a national PNR system. In November 2016, Norwegian police piloted an automated biometric identification system (ABIS), which officials aim to implement nationally in the first quarter of 2017. Immigration to Norway is facilitated and regulated by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI), which processes all applications for asylum, visas, family immigration, work and study permits, permanent residence, and travel documents. In 2016, citizenship issues were regulated by the newly created Minister of Immigration and Integration. The Norwegian police and the MFA issue passports.

Norway previously faced legal and technical barriers in stemming the flow of foreign terrorist fighters, including that Norway cannot revoke or permanently hold a citizen's passport for expressing support for a terrorist group (or expressing an interest to travel to Syria and Iraq), or return an asylum-seeker who expresses support for a terrorist group to an area with ongoing conflict. The legislation criminalizing fighting on behalf of non-state groups, which was passed in June 2016, should rectify the situation.

Since enacting the 2013 counterterrorism laws, the Norwegian authorities have convicted several individuals of support for terrorist groups and causes.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism: Norway is a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Norway's financial intelligence unit (FIU), The National Authority for the Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime – The Money Laundering Unit, is a member of the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units.

Norwegian law aims to incorporate FATF standards and recommendations, but faces challenges in effective implementation, particularly regarding implementing UN-targeted financial sanctions without delay. Norway continues to increase its efforts to counter terrorist financing and in 2016, Norway joined the Defeat-ISIS Coalition working group to counter terrorist financing. The government also continued to operate a domestic interagency group, which included the Ministries of Justice, Finance, and Foreign Affairs, to counter money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

For further information on money laundering and financial crimes, see the 2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Volume II, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes: http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/index.htm.

Countering Violent Extremism: Norwegian Prime Minister Solberg hosted an event on the margins of the UN General Assembly in September 2016 that focused on the gender dimensions of preventing and countering violent extremism. At the event, the prime minister formally launched the Women's Alliance for Security Leadership. Norway continued to support the Youth Civil Activism Network (YouthCAN) and Strong Cities Network (SCN). Two Norwegian cities, Oslo and Kristiansand, are members of the SCN.

Norway continued to implement its national Action Plan against Radicalization and Violent Extremism, published in June 2014, which is a whole-of-government approach to countering violent extremism (CVE). Priorities include strengthening research on CVE, improving national and local cooperation on counter-radicalization efforts, helping to promote reintegration of former violent extremists, and preventing recruitment and radicalization to violence online. The prime minister encouraged municipal authorities to implement CVE efforts at the local level. Several municipalities around Oslo fjord, which PST assesses are the most vulnerable to radicalization to violence, have increased their CVE efforts, including passing CVE action plans and increasing budgets for CVE and counter-radicalization activities.

Regional and International Cooperation: Norway is active in multilateral fora in efforts to counter terrorism, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the EU's Radicalization Awareness Network. Although not a member, Norway has been an active participant in the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF). Through the GCTF, Norway has implemented several new projects in the areas of counterterrorism and CVE. In 2016, Norway worked actively to garner UN member state support for the UN Preventing Violent Extremism Plan of Action. Norway continued its support to the UN Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force. The Norwegian government provided support to The Prevention Project, which focuses on localized interventions that address the underlying drivers of violent extremism.

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