Oslo shooting: who is the suspect, was it a terrorist attack?
Olso’s annual Pride event has been canceled following a suspected deadly terrorist attack on an LGBT bar in the Norwegian capital
Flowers left at the scene of the shooting in Oslo
Two people were killed and eight others required hospital treatment after a shooting at the London Pub gay bar in central Oslo.
Police were called at 1:14 am on June 25 and were at the scene within minutes. Three minutes after arriving at the scene, police arrested a male suspect.
What happened at the crime scene?
Olav Roenneberg, a journalist with Norwegian public broadcaster NRK who witnessed the shooting, told the broadcaster: “I saw a man arrive at the scene with a bag. He picked up a gun and started shooting.
“At first I thought it was an airgun. Then the glass in the bar next door shattered and I knew I had to run for cover.”
A Norwegian news channel also showed footage of people running down the streets near where the shooting took place, while gunfire rang out in the background.
According to recent reports, two people were killed in the shooting and more than 20 required medical attention at the scene – eight of whom were taken to hospital for further treatment.
Another witness told NKR: “I was in the outside bar in London when it happened. I just realized a shot went off and I was hit by a piece of broken glass.
“The shots kept coming, so I escaped to the inside pub and tried to take as many as possible with me.”
A woman told Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang the gunman carefully aimed at his targets.
She said: “When I understood it was serious, I ran away. There was a bloodied man lying motionless on the ground.”
Has Oslo Pride been cancelled?
This year’s Pride event in Oslo would also mark the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Norway.
The event was to include a Pride parade as well as other events and was billed as “Norway’s largest celebration of queer love and diversity” on the Oslo Pride website.
A statement published on the Oslo Pride website said the parade and other events related to Oslo Pride, which was due to take place today (June 25), would be canceled following police orders.
The statement also read, “We will be proud and visible again soon, but today we will be sharing our Pride celebrations from the comfort of our homes.”
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere expressed his condolences to the victims in a Facebook post, calling the shooting “a cruel and deeply shocking attack on innocent people, a terrible and deeply shocking attack on innocent people.”
He added, “To the queer community who are afraid and grieving now, I want to say that we are all with you.”
Who is the suspect?
Police have not named the suspect but have arrested a 42-year-old man.
Prosecutor Christian Hatlo told police the suspect was a Norwegian citizen originally from Iran and was “known to police” but had only received “minor convictions” so far.
The suspect is charged with murder, attempted murder and acts of terrorism.
Police believe the suspect acted alone in the attack and that no one else was involved.
https://www.nationalworld.com/news/oslo-shooting-what-happened-possible-terror-attack-london-pub-norway-capital-suspect-3745490 Oslo shooting: who is the suspect, was it a terrorist attack?
