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Norway Attack Focuses Attention on U.S. Right-Wing Extremists

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U.S. anti-Islamic rhetoric quoted in alleged killer’s manifesto (NBC Nightly News, July 25, 2011) — In the wake of the Oslo attacks, investigators are focusing on a 1,500-page manifesto in which accused suspect Anders Behring Breivik vows to take violent action to stop “the ongoing Islamic colonization of Europe.” Some say Breivik was influenced by heated rhetoric from groups in the United States. NBC’s Michael Isikoff reports. (02:18)

By Azriel Relph and Michael Isikoff

July 25, 2011

The bomb attack and shooting spree that killed 76 people in Norway on Friday [July 22, 2011] is refocusing attention on the threat from right-wing terrorist attacks in the U.S. inspired by anti-Islamic rhetoric.

In the aftermath of the mass murder, investigators are looking at a 1,500-page manifesto in which Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian man who admitted to carrying out the attacks, vowed “brutal and breathtaking operations” in order to stop “the ongoing Islamic Colonization of Europe.” Analysts say the manifesto was inspired by heated rhetoric from groups in the United States – some of which are quoted directly.

Robert Spencer, the co-founder of Stop the Islamization of America, is cited more than 50 times by Breivik. He helped organize protests against the proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero in New York City [link added] and has written that “traditional Islam contains violent and supremacist elements.”

Breivik wrote that Spencer would be an “excellent choice” for the Nobel Peace Prize. …

“This attack in Norway should be a wake up for our decision makers,” said Daryl Johnson, the founder of DT Analytics, a consulting firm that tracks extremist activity in the United States.

As a former top domestic terrorist analyst for the Department of Homeland Security, Johnson produced a 2009 report that warned of a growing threat from right-wing extremists and domestic hate groups [link added]. The report produced a storm of controversy [link added] amid charges that the department was monitoring protected political speech. The report was ultimately removed from the Homeland Security website …

Johnson … sees parallels between the rhetoric of some domestic extremists and Breivik’s writings.

“We could have a similar attack here, and that’s my greatest fear,” he said. “We could have a Timothy McVeigh-type carry out a mass shooting event or a vehicle bomb attack that resulted in mass casualties.”

Full story

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Related reports on this site

Norway Christian Extremism Terrorist Threat (July 24, 2011)

Christian Militia Terror Plot (March 29, 2010)

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One Response to “Norway Massacre Renews Focus on U.S. Rightwing Extremism”
  1. Immelman vs. Bachmann » Blog Archive » Norway Christian Extremism Terrorist Threat Says:

    […] Norway Massacre Renews Focus on U.S. Rightwing Extremism (July 25, 2011) […]

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