Associated Press Published Saturday, June 25, 2022, 7:31 AM EDT Last Updated, Saturday, June 25, 2022, 7:31 AM EDT
OSLO, Norway (AP) – A gunman opened fire in Oslo’s nightclub district early Saturday, killing two people and leaving 10 seriously injured in what police are investigating as a possible terrorist attack during Norway’s annual Pride Festival. capital.
Investigators said the suspect, identified as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin, was arrested after firing in three places in central Oslo.
Although the motive was unclear, the organizers of the Oslo Pride canceled the parade, which was set for Saturday as the highlight of the week-long festival. One of the shootings took place in front of the London Pub, a bar popular with the city’s LGBTQ community, just hours before the parade began.
Police lawyer Christian Hatlow said the suspect was detained on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and terrorism based on the number of people targeted in multiple locations.
“Our overall assessment is that there is reason to believe that he wanted to cause serious fear in the population,” Hatlow said.
Hatlow said the suspect’s mental health was also being investigated.
“We need to review his medical history, if any. This is not something we are aware of now, “he said.
The shooting took place around 1 am local time, sending panicked revelers to flee the streets or try to hide from the shooter.
Olav Röneberg, a journalist with Norwegian public television NRK, said he had witnessed the shooting.
“I saw a man arrive at the scene with a bag. He took up arms and started firing, “Röneberg told NRK. “At first I thought it was an air pistol. Then the glass of the next bar broke and I realized I had to run for cover.
Another witness, 46-year-old Marcus Nibaken, said he had been warned of the incident due to the riot in the area.
“When I entered Cesar’s bar, there were a lot of people who started running and there were a lot of screams. I thought there was a battle, so I withdrew. But then I heard that it was a shooting and that there was someone shooting with a submachine gun, “Nibaken told Norwegian TV2.
Police Inspector Torre Soldal said two of the victims had died and 10 had been treated for serious injuries, but none were thought to be in danger of death.
Prime Minister Jonas Gar Søre said in a Facebook post that “the shooting in front of the London pub in Oslo tonight is a brutal and deeply shocking attack on innocent people.”
He said that although the motive was unclear, the shooting had caused fear and grief in the LGBTQ community.
“We are all by your side,” Gar Stoer wrote.
King Harald V also offered his condolences, saying he and the Norwegian royal family were “horrified by the tragedy of the night shooting”.
“We sympathize with all relatives and those affected and send warm thoughts to all who are now frightened, restless and in grief,” the Norwegian monarch said in a statement. “We must stand together to protect our values: freedom, diversity and respect for each other. We must continue to stand up for all people to feel safe. “
Christian Bredelli, who was at the bar, told the Norwegian newspaper VG that he hid on the fourth floor with a group of about 10 people until he was told it was safe to go out.
“Many feared for their lives,” he said. “On the way out, we saw several wounded, so we realized that something serious had happened.
Norwegian TV operator TV2 showed footage of people running through the streets of Oslo in panic as shots were fired in the background.
Investigators said the suspect was known to police as well as the Norwegian security police, but not to any serious violent crimes. His criminal record included a crime against drugs and a crime against a weapon carrying a knife, Hatlow said.
Hatlow said police seized two weapons after the attack: a handgun and an automatic weapon, both of which he described as “not modern” without giving details.
He said the suspect had not given any testimony to police and was in contact with a lawyer.
Hatlow said it was too early to say whether the shooter was aimed specifically at members of the LGBTQ community.
“We need to take a closer look, we still don’t know,” he said.
However, police advised Pride organizers to cancel the parade on Saturday.
“That’s why Oslo Pride urges everyone who plans to participate or watch the parade not to show up. All events related to Oslo Prides are canceled, “said the organizers on the official Facebook page of the event.
Inge Alexander Gestvang, leader of FRI, the Norwegian organization for sexual and sexual diversity, said the shooting shook the gay community in the Scandinavian country.
“It’s hard for the strange movement to survive this,” he was quoted as saying by TV2. “We encourage everyone to stand together, to take care of each other. We will come back later, proud, visible, but now is not the time for that. “
Norway has a relatively low crime rate, but has suffered violent attacks by right-wing extremists, including one of the heaviest mass shootings in Europe in 2011, when a gunman killed 69 people on the island of Utoya after detonating a bomb in Oslo that left eight dead.
In 2019, another right-wing extremist killed his sister-in-law and then opened fire on a mosque, but was defeated before anyone was injured.
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Karl Ritter from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, and Jari Tanner in Helsinki contributed to this report.
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