Kamil Jalal Fatah was sentenced in Italy in 2019 to seven and a half years in prison for plotting terrorism together with Mullah Krekar, who himself received a twelve-year sentence. He is now suing the Norwegian state to have the expulsion decision declared invalid.

From a prison cell in Italy, Fatah will conduct his case before Oslo District Court from Wednesday morning. He will participate via video link. The case is scheduled to last three days. His hope is to regain the right to reside in Norway and return to his family. The man lived in Drammen for many years.

Fatah was granted Norwegian citizenship in 2018, despite being under indictment at the time in the terrorism case in Italy. His citizenship was subsequently revoked, and in November 2024 it was decided that he should be expelled. He was also stripped of his refugee status on the grounds that he may pose a threat to ‘fundamental national interests’. That same year, he was extradited to Italy, where he is now serving his sentence.

Italian authorities believe Fatah was Krekar’s right-hand man and acted as a messenger between Krekar and the rest of the Rawti Shax organisation while Krekar was imprisoned in Kongsvinger. According to the judgment, recordings from hidden microphones show the two discussing terrorist plots in the prison visiting room. According to the judgment, Fatah, acting on Krekar’s instructions, asked a person in the network to establish an Italian cell.

It has also been alleged that he was to form a combat group capable of carrying out operations in Europe. Italian police believe Rawti Shax consists of secret cells whose purpose is to commit acts of terrorism in Europe and the West.

Both the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) and the state oppose him. According to PST’s threat assessment, there is a genuine concern that Fatah could be influenced by others to become involved in acts of terrorism, and that his presence in Norway would have a negative effect on the threat level.

The state believes there are grounds to assume that he continues to sympathise with extremist Islamist ideology and accepts violence as a means of achieving political, religious or ideological objectives. The assessment is based partly on the criminal case in Italy and partly on PST’s own information about his association with Krekar and his role in Rawti Shax.

His lawyer, Julie Langeland, does not wish to comment on the lawsuit. Both deny criminal responsibility in the terrorism case.

Krekar is serving his sentence in Italy. Fatah is doing the same – and is now demanding the right to return to the country that believes he should never have been here.