Iraqi-born Islamist cleric in Norway terror trial

OSLO, Norway (AP) — An Iraqi-born cleric pleaded not guilty in a Norwegian court Wednesday to charges of making death threats against politicians and encouraging suicide bombings.

Prosecutors said Mullah Krekar, a 55-year-old Islamist who came to Norway as a refugee in 1991, faces several years in prison if found guilty.

Since his arrival, Krekar has made frequent trips to Iraq where he founded the Kurdish Ansar al-Islam, listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and other nations. It is suspected of organizing suicide bombings against coalition forces in Iraq.

In 2005, a Norwegian court declared him a national security threat and ordered him deported, but …