In Norway, police officers are traditionally unarmed. When they are on patrol, the weapons remain in the trunk. On Saturday, the Norwegian police leadership therefore took a strong symbolic decision by announcing that its officers would carry weapons until further notice due to threats received by the Muslim community.
“The Director General of Police has decided to arm the police nationwide from today, Saturday afternoon
,” she wrote in a statement.
“These are threats against mosques
,” police spokesperson Roar Hansen told AFP. However, the level of threats has not changed; it is currently considered
“moderate”
by the authorities.