Anders Cameroon Østensvig Dale

Anders Cameroon Østensvig Dale
Born19 October 1978
NationalityNorwegian
Other namesMuslim Abu Abdurrahman, Abu Abdurrahman the Norwegian

Anders Cameroon Østensvig Dale (born 19 October 1978),[1] also known as Muslim Abu Abdurrahman and Abu Abdurrahman the Norwegian,[2] is a Norwegian Yemen-based terrorist associated with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). As of Q3 2023, he is allegedly in prison[3] (or detention) in Yemen.[4] The foreign ministry (Norway) is refusing (as of 2023) to help him get to Norway.[3]

Previously, after being wanted internationally since 2012, Dale was in 2014 listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the United States Department of State,[5] and blacklisted by the United Nations Security Council.[6]

Early life[edit]

Born to Norwegian parents, Dale grew up in Nesodden.[7] He was a member of the Green Party, and appeared as a low-level candidate on the party's election lists in Oslo for the 2007 municipal elections.[8] He was reportedly a member of the left-wing radical Blitz movement in his youth,[9][10] and described himself as an anarchist and Marxist.[11]

Dale converted to Islam in 2008,[10] and began attending the Rabita Mosque.[12] The same year, he was interviewed in an NRK radio program as a Norwegian Muslim convert who criticised "media propaganda" portraying Muslims as being violent.[13] His family contacted the police after he took part in the 2008–09 Oslo riots.[9][10]

Designated terrorist[edit]

Dale first travelled to Yemen to join Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in 2008, and returned to Norway several times until December 2011.[2] During his time in Yemen he is thought to have received bomb-making training by Ibrahim al-Asiri,[14] specifically to make bomb-belts, improvised explosives and explosives used in car bombs.[2] He broke off contacts with his pregnant wife, a Moroccan he married in 2010[10] following the last trip, and was reported missing by his family in April 2012.[7]

Dale became wanted by the intelligence services of several countries in 2012, suspected of having planned a terrorist attack against the London 2012 Summer Olympics.[10]

In July 2014, Dale was listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the United States Department of State.[2][15] He was also charged under Norway's anti-terror laws by the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), after having been under investigation for several years.[7] It was reported later the same month that Dale was the reason for increased security measures being introduced on direct flights to the United States.[1][14] In September 2014, he was blacklisted by the United Nations Security Council as one of eleven wanted terrorists requested to be blacklisted by the United States.[6][16][17]

One of the perpetrators of the January 2015 Charlie Hebdo shooting, Saïd Kouachi, is considered likely to have met Dale as he trained with AQAP in Yemen in 2011.[18]

Dale is arrested in Yemen since 2022, and has asked for help from Norwegian Foreign department to travel back to Norway.[19]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Terrorsiktet nordmann grunn til økt sikkerhet på fly". Nettavisen (in Norwegian). 22 July 2014. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "U.S. designates suspected Norwegian al Qaeda member a 'terrorist'". Reuters. 16 July 2014. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  3. ^ a b https://www.vg.no/nyheter/utenriks/i/jlAnjL/soesteren-til-anders-dale-ud-vil-ikke-hente-broren-hjem. VG.no. Retrieved 2023-09-07
  4. ^ https://www.nettavisen.no/nyhetsstudio. Nettavisen. Retrieved 7 March 2022—. "13:14:18 Terrorsiktet nordmann pågrepet i Jemen, melder NRK"
  5. ^ "Terrorist Designation of Anders Cameroon Ostensvig Dale". U.S. Department of State. 15 July 2014. Archived from the original on 21 January 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  6. ^ a b "U.N. Security Council blacklists foreign fighters, recruiters". Reuters. 24 September 2014. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  7. ^ a b c "PST terrorsikter og etterlyser nordmann internasjonalt". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 16 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  8. ^ "PST etterlyser terrorsiktet nesodding". Østlandets Blad (in Norwegian). 16 July 2014. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Familien tipset politiet om Al Qaida-nordmann" (in Norwegian). NRK. 5 July 2012. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Dette er den terrorsiktede nordmannen Anders Dale (35)" (in Norwegian). TV 2. 16 July 2014. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  11. ^ "En dag ville ikke Anders spise svinekjøtt og drikke øl. Nå er han siktet for terror". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). 18 July 2014. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  12. ^ "Her er nordmannen som skal ha blitt trent av al-Qaida". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). 5 July 2012. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  13. ^ "– Vold har ingenting med islam å gjøre" (in Norwegian). NRK. 16 July 2014. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  14. ^ a b "Norwegian citizen linked to increased airport security screening, congressional sources say". Fox News. 22 July 2014. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  15. ^ "US Hunts for Al Qaeda-Trained Norwegian Bomb-Maker". ABC News. 15 July 2014. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  16. ^ "Exclusive: U.S., France propose U.N. sanctions on foreign Islamist fighters". Yahoo News. 22 September 2014. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  17. ^ "Terrorsiktede Anders Dale svartelistet av FN" (in Norwegian). NRK. 24 September 2014. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  18. ^ "- Sannsynlig at Paris-terrorist har møtt terrorsiktede Anders Dale fra Nesodden". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). 9 January 2015. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  19. ^ Möhring, Maria (30 March 2023). "UD vil ikke love hjelp til fengslet nordmann i Jemen". Aftenposten. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
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