Norway to extradite radical cleric if Italy convicts him
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Norway's justice minister said Saturday that an Iraqi-born cleric suspected of enticing recruits to fight in Iraq and Syria will be extradited if a court in Italy convicts him.
The Muslim cleric, Najmaddin Faraj Ahmad, is scheduled to go on trial in Italy Wednesday without him being physically present in court, Norwegian daily newspaper Nettavisen reported. Ahmad is known as Mullah Krekar in Norway, where he has lived since 1991.
Italian prosecutors allege that Krekar is behind Rawti Shax, a European network aimed at violently overthrowing the government in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and replacing it with a radical caliphate. Rawti Shax ultimately was to join the Islamic State group, Nettavisen said.
The prosecutors claim Rawti Shax built up a network of operative cells "to carry out violent actions on European soil or against Western interests to create fear in the population or put pressure on governments and international organizations," according to the newspaper.
Krekar has denied the allegations.
