Cyberattacks, Terrorism May Pose Threat to Norway in 2017

STOCKHOLM (Sputnik) — Norway may face cyberthreats and terrorist attacks in 2017, the Norwegian Intelligence Service said in a security report published Monday.

"Since the beginning of 2017 the development in three directions, which may affect Norway and Norwegian interests, has been noted, namely the rise of potential threats in the information space against political, military, and economic targets in Norway," the head of the Norwegian Intelligence Service, Lt. Gen. Morten Haga Lunde, said in the preface to the report, published on the official website of the Norwegian Armed Forces.

According to Lunde, "Russia has carried out large-scale digital operations in order to influence US election," therefore, it is possible that foreign authorities will have an impact on elections in Norway and in other countries of Europe in 2017.

The report stated that the terrorist threat, posed by Islamist militants, was serious and complex. Despite the fact that the positions of the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh, outlawed in Russia) jihadist organization, banned in many countries including Russia, have weakened in Syria and Iraq, the threat of terrorist attacks in Europe still stands.

The report also highlighted the geopolitical contradictions between the West and Russia, saying that tensions have dramatically increased as a result of the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, which may lead to consequences that are undesirable for both sides.

Russia has repeatedly denied all allegations about any cyberattacks and influencing US presidential election, calling them absurd and characterizing them as an attempt to divert public opinion from revelations of corruption as well as other pressing domestic issues in the United States, and has stressed that Russia will never attack any NATO country.