WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration says it has put a Norwegian citizen on a terrorism blacklist for travelling to Yemen to join al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The move underscores increased U.S. fears of Europeans and other westerners becoming involved in terrorism.

The State Department announced Tuesday that it had listed Anders Cameroon Ostensvig Dale as a "specially designated global terrorist." That means any assets he has in U.S. jurisdictions are now frozen and American citizens are barred from any transactions with him.

Dale travelled to Yemen several times between 2008 and 2011 and joined AQAP, which gave him terrorist training, including instruction on how to make bomb belts and larger explosives, according to a statement announcing the designation.