By Alison@Creekside
CBC Power & Politics on the Oslo massacre, at noon Friday, edited:
Evan Solomon: This raises again the spectre of international terrorism.
Stockwell Day: As recently as July 8th in Norway there was a dragnet for al-Qaeda suspects related to the Manchester bombing. Whether this group is tied to them we don’t know . . .
Solomon: A suspect has now been arrested. This looks like a multiple series of attacks that are going on. Now remember Norway did have a small number of troops in Afghanistan.
It’s a very very fluid situation but it does raise all sorts of security issues about — this is a hackneyed phrase but on a day like this it suddenly has new poignancy — the war on terror.
We don’t know who’s taken credit for this, or responsibility for this attack, but if indeed it is al Qaeda, if indeed it is an extremist act that has any connection to what’s happened in Afghanistan, how do we square that with what the PM said at the end of our mission there that Afghanistan and what’s going on there is no longer a threat to global security?
Stockwell Day: Well the level of training that was going on in Afghanistan was extreme in exporting terror.
[Stock goes on about our accomplishments in Afghanistan] In Canada we’ve had the Toronto 18. Security has to be #1.
Solomon: The profile of these extremists . . . Somalia — these are the places where extremists take root.
Stockwell Day: The single reason for this type of terrorism . . . this type of terrorism will continue . . . and we hope to be able to limit it through the 21st century . . . is the result of extreme lunatic insane ideological teaching and it happens whether the people involved are from poor areas or wealthy areas. Don’t forget Osama bin Laden himself was a multi-millionaire growing up in Saudi Arabia in a very, very wealthy family. The Toronto 18 were all in good financial shape. Many of this extremist al Qaeda type extremist lunatic ideology that is even being bred in the US — these are coming from people who are not disaffected by poverty. This is the result of an insane extreme religious teaching and I encourage those within the broader community to reach out to extremists within their own community and they’ve got to get the message out to the young people that they are being told lies — that the afterlife for them is not what they’re being promised.
Thank you, Doris.
BBC: Scores killed in Norway attacks
A massive bomb blast shattered buildings in the capital Oslo, killing at least seven people. Then a gunman rampaged through a youth camp run by the ruling Labour Party, killing 84 people. On Saturday police continued combing the island as a number of teenagers were still missing, feared dead.
Norwegian media identified the man as Anders Behring Breivik, 32. Police charged him for the island massacre and the Oslo bomb blast.
Police said the man was answering questions and they described him as a right-wing Christian fundamentalist.
thanks for the update Mr. Day but this attack had nothing to do with AQ but rather, extreme Christian fanaticism that perpetuates all Muslims are a fifth column waiting to take over with a type of unity Muslims only wish they had.
I take it the govt. will now focus on this kind of anti Muslim rhetoric as a clear safety risk. Not gonna hold my breath though. 😉