Krekar apparently managed to avoid suspicion because he used his civilian name, Ahmad Najumuddin Faraj, when he applied for document renewal. "There was nothing in our files that suggested he shouldn't be granted a renewal," Inger Elisabeth Sagedal of the Oslo Police District told wire service NTB.
Krekar also paid a visit to the Iranian embassy in Oslo, where he obtained a visa that allowed him to travel into Iran. All this occurred just a few weeks before news broke that Krekar had alleged ties to the terrorist network al-Qaeda.
Krekar since has lost his refugee status because his lengthy stays outside Norway violated terms of his residence permission in the country. He was arrested in Iran late last week and now is sitting in police custody in Amsterdam, his first port of entry within the European countries that cooperate on passport control.
Krekar's wife, four children and other family members have remained in Norway but Krekar apparently didn't take the time to visit them during his brief trip to Norway.
His brother, who has run a web site on Krekar's behalf, said he was "surprised" to hear Krekar had been in Oslo. Both he and Krekar's wife are now in Amsterdam after driving there from Oslo in the hopes of meeting Krekar.
Krekar now appears likely to get involved in a long legal process in the Netherlands and can end up sitting in custody for a long time. Jordan already is seeing his extradition oon narcotics charges and it's believed American intelligence agents also are keen to question him.
