The Norwegian Police Immigration Service said that people with connections to terrorist groups such as ISIL, al-Shabaab and Boko Haram had all tried to claim asylum in Norway, according to local newspaper Dagsavisen.
The latest findings have raised fresh concerns over the threat of extremism in Europe, and how the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is a concern for the intelligence agencies of European countries.
"Yes, it is true that we have concerns for people who have come here as asylum seekers," senior adviser Martin Bernsen told the paper, noting that there was uncertainty over some people already in Norway.
Immigration officials have said that asylum seekers found to have been involved in criminal acts overseas would be denied refugee status, but have noted the difficulty and expense involved with trying to identify any potential connections between potential refugees and terrorist cells.
In Norway alone it's thought that about 100 people have been denied asylum seeker status in recent years due to prior participation in acts of terrorism, with people from Iraq, Eritrea, Palestine and Afghanistan among those sent back to their home countries.
ISIL, Boko Haram Terrorists Seek Asylum in Norway http://t.co/RlL9jSPV5p
— Syria News (@SyriaTNews) March 24, 2015
Despite the latest concerns, Norwegian immigration officials estimate that 98 percent of those seeking asylum in the country are genuine refugees.
The issue of immigration has been at the forefront of political debate in many European countries, particularly in the UK, where the main political parties have been accused by opponents of pursuing an anti-immigration agenda, which they say has impacted on the plight of refugees seeking asylum in the country.
