Mullah Krekar on Al-Jazeera
Mullah Krekar, the Muslim leader now living in Norway, has gotten tangled up. He now says he is not the leader of Ansar al-Islam, a jihadist group in Iraq, but he sang a different tune to Al-Jazeera recently: “Mullah Krekar, under arrest in Norway for suspected terror links, represented himself in an Al-Jazeera TV program as leader of the suspected terrorist group Ansar al-Islam just last month. He also confirmed the group was behind a suicide bombing in Northern Iraq last year.” This from Aftenposten, with thanks to roboetal.
“Krekar’s appearance on the TV program left his Norwegian defense attorney with some explaining to do on Friday. Lawyer Brynjar Meling has been trying to get Krekar released from custody in Oslo, vigorously repeating Krekar’s earlier claims that he has nothing to do with Ansar al-Islam.
“Newspaper Aftenposten reported Friday that in the Al-Jazeera program, broadcast December 2, Krekar appeared as a guerrilla leader. Wearing a head covering and military fatigues, he offered no protest or correction when he was identified several times as zaim, or leader, of Ansar al-Islam.
“Moreover, Krekar confirmed in the debate program called Al-Ittijah-al-Muakis that Ansar al-Islam was behind a suicide bombing in Northern Iraq on March 22. Three people were killed in the bombing, and that incident plays a key role in Norwegian prosecutors’ charges against him.
“Krekar also displayed detailed knowledge of the incident, saying that after ‘the Americans bombed us in our areas… one of our brothers, one of the martyr candidates, fastened explosives to himself and his car and drove into an American position.’ Before he left, Krekar added, the suicide bomber ‘gave USD 5,000 that he had to his brothers and exchanged his new shoes with old ones.'”