Shots were fired early Monday into the Oslo apartment of a Kurdish cleric who founded an Iraqi-based militant group, injuring one of his relatives, Norwegian police said.
Mullah Krekar, the founder of the radical Islamist group Ansar al-Islam, was not hurt in the shooting, but his son-in-law was taken to hospital with gun shot wounds to the arm and was in stable condition, police said.
Witnesses observed two men fleeing the scene, but police said in a statement they had no suspects. They were also investigating whether a car that was set ablaze in a nearby parking lot shortly after the shooting was connected to the incident.
Krekar, born Najm al-Din Faraj Ahmad, founded Ansar al-Islam while a refugee in Norway. The group is listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and others. It is suspected of having carried out suicide bombings against coalition forces in Iraq.
Mr. Krekar’s lawyer, Brynjar Meling, told broadcaster NRK the shooters tried to break into the apartment before firing in what he said appeared to be “a well-planned and professional attack.”
He did not say whether he believed any specific group was responsible for the shooting, though he acknowledged that Mr. Krekar frequently receives threats.
Mr. Krekar has said he no longer leads Ansar al-Islam, and denies links to al-Qaida. The United Nations in December 2006 added him to a list of people believed associated with al-Qaida.
Norway ordered the cleric deported in 2005 after declaring him a national security threat, but authorities have refused to expel him because of the security situation in Iraq.
