Iraqi preacher convicted for 'terrorism' arrested in Norway

Norwegian police have arrested controversial Iraqi Kurdish fundamentalist preacher Mullah Krekar after he was convicted in Italy of ‘terrorist’ conspiracy.

The PST intelligence service reports that the 63-year-old is accused by Italy of leading the Rawti Shax, a network with alleged links to the ISIS and which is suspected of planning attacks in the West.

A court in Bolzano, in northern Italy, has sentenced him to 12 years' imprisonment on a charge of ‘terrorist conspiracy’.

Several news agencies claim that Krekar has been at risk of deportation since 2003, featuring on both the UN and US terror lists.

Krekar, whose real name is Najumuddin Ahmad Faraj, must appear in court on 17 July to be placed in provisional detention.