OSLO, April 29: Three men accused of shooting at a synagogue and plotting attacks against the US and Israeli embassies in Oslo should receive prison terms of between two and 10 years, the prosecutor in the case told an Oslo court on Tuesday.

The three defendants are the first to be tried under new anti-terror laws introduced in Norway after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.

The lead defendant, Irfan Q. Bhatti, a 30-year-old Norwegian of Pakistani origin, should be sentenced to 10 years behind bars, six of which should be without the possibility of parole, the prosecutor said.

Bhatti, a debt collector, stands charged along with Ibrahim Oezbabacan, a 29-year-old man of Turkish origin, with firing an automatic weapon at the Oslo synagogue on Sept 17, 2006. No one was injured in the attack.

Bhatti and a third man, Andreas Bog Kristiansen, 28, also stand accused of planning attacks on the synagogue and on US and Israeli embassies in Oslo.

The alleged attacks were foiled after police learned of the plans.

The prosecutor, who requested two-year prison terms for Kristiansen and Oezbabacan, said that even if Bhatti was not found guilty of terrorism he should receive a stiff sentence for his criminal activity.—AFP

Opinion

A long war?

A long war?

Both sides should have a common interest in averting a protracted conflict but the impasse persists.

Editorial

Interlinked crises
04 May, 2026

Interlinked crises

ACROSS the Middle East, three main hotspots should remain cause for concern for the international community: the...
Climate readiness
04 May, 2026

Climate readiness

AS policymakers gather for the Breathe Pakistan conference this week, the urgency is hard to miss. Each year, such...
Kalash preservation
04 May, 2026

Kalash preservation

FOR centuries, the Kalash people have maintained a culture, way of life, language and belief system that is uniquely...
On press freedoms
Updated 03 May, 2026

On press freedoms

THE citizenry forgets, to its own peril, how important a free and independent media is in the preservation of their...
Inflation strain
03 May, 2026

Inflation strain

PAKISTAN’S return to double-digit inflation after 21 months signals renewed economic strain where external shocks...
Troubled waters
03 May, 2026

Troubled waters

PAKISTAN’S water crisis is often framed in terms of scarcity. Increasingly, it is also a crisis of contamination....