BAGHDAD, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Iraqi officials want Mullah Krekar, currently in Norway, to be extradited for alleged crimes committed in Kurdish areas of northern Iraq.
Justice Minister Abdel Hussein Shandal told TV 2 Nettavisen Friday Krekar "is an Iraqi citizen and should appear in court." He is charged with a string of offenses and terrorist attacks in Northern Iraq when he led the guerrilla group Ansar al-Islam, reported Aftenposten.
"We're building a democratic state, and he will have the right to defend himself and have an attorney," Shandal said.
Shandal said Krekar motivated and encouraged Ansar al-Islam -- which the United States says is linked to al-Qaida -- to make new terrorist attacks within Iraq while in exile in Norway.
Krekar has fought deportation and denied he has encouraged Ansar al-Islam to attack.
