The Associated Press Published Saturday, June 25, 2022 7:31 AM EDT Last Updated on Saturday, June 25, 2022 7:31 AM EDT
OSLO, Norway (AP) – A gunman opened fire on Oslo’s nightlife district early Saturday, killing two people and leaving 10 seriously injured in what police are investigating as a possible terrorist attack during the festival annual Pride of the Norwegian capital.
Investigators said the suspect, identified as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen from Iran, was arrested after setting fire to three sites in central Oslo.
Although the reason was unclear, the organizers of the Oslo Pride canceled a parade that was set for Saturday as the highlight of a week-long festival. One of the shootings took place outside the London Pub, a popular bar among the city’s LGBTQ community, just hours before the parade began.
Police lawyer Christian Hatlo said the suspect was detained on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and terrorism, according to the number of people targeted at various locations.
“Our overall assessment is that there is reason to believe that I wanted to cause serious fear to the population,” Hatlo said.
Hatlo said the suspect’s mental health is also being investigated.
“We need to review your medical history, if you have any. It’s not something we’re aware of now,” he said.
The shootings took place around 1 a.m. local time, and caused the panicked partygoers to flee the streets or try to hide from the gunman.
Olav Roenneberg, a journalist for the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, said he witnessed the shooting.
“I saw a man arrive at the scene with a bag. He grabbed a gun and started firing,” Roenneberg told NRK. “At first I thought it was an ordinary air pistol. Then the glass in the bar next door broke and I realized I had to run to take refuge.”
Another witness, Marcus Nybakken, 46, said he was alerted to the incident by a commotion in the area.
“When I entered Cesar’s bar there were a lot of people starting to run and there were a lot of screams. I thought it was a fight out there, so I retired. But then I heard it was a shooting and there was someone firing a machine gun, “Nybakken told Norwegian TV2.
Police Inspector Tore Soldal said two of the victims of the shooting died and 10 people were being treated for serious injuries, but none are believed to be life-threatening.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a post on Facebook that “the shooting in front of the London Pub in Oslo tonight was a cruel and deeply shocking attack on innocent people.”
He said that although the reason was unclear, the shooting had caused fear and pain to the LGBTQ community.
“We are all by your side,” Gahr Stoere wrote.
King Harald V also offered condolences and said he and the Norwegian royal family were “horrified by the tragedy of the night shooting”.
“We sympathize with all the relatives and those affected and send warm thoughts to all those who are now frightened, anxious and grieving,” the Norwegian monarch said in a statement. “We must unite to defend our values: freedom, diversity and respect for each other. We must continue to defend so that all people feel safe.”
Christian Bredeli, who was at the bar, told the Norwegian newspaper VG that he was hiding on the fourth floor with a group of about 10 people until they told him it was safe to leave.
“Many were afraid for their lives,” he said. “When we left we saw several people injured, so we understood that something serious had happened.”
Norwegian broadcaster TV2 showed images of people running through the streets of Oslo in panic as background shots sounded.
Investigators said the suspect was known to the police as well as the Norwegian security police, but not for any major violent crime. His criminal record included a narcotics offense and a gun crime for carrying a knife, Hatlo said.
Hatlo said police confiscated two weapons after the attack: a handgun and an automatic weapon, both of which he described as “non-modern” without giving details.
He said the suspect had not made any statement to police and was in contact with a defense lawyer.
Hatlo said it was too early to tell if the gunman specifically targeted members of the LGBTQ community.
“We need to take a closer look, we don’t know yet,” he said.
However, police advised the organizers of the Pride festival to cancel the parade on Saturday.
“Therefore, Oslo Pride urges everyone who planned to participate or watch the parade not to show up. All events related to Oslo Pride are canceled,” organizers said on the official website of the event’s Facebook.
Inge Alexander Gjestvang, leader of FRI, the Norwegian organization for sexual and gender diversity, said the shooting has shaken the gay community in the Nordic country.
“It’s hard for the queer movement to live that,” TV2 said. “We encourage everyone to be united, to take care of each other. We’ll be back later, proud, visible, but right now isn’t the time for that.”
Norway has a relatively low crime rate, but has suffered violent attacks by right-wing extremists, including one of the worst mass shootings in Europe in 2011, when a gunman killed 69 people on the island of Utoya after firing a bomb in Oslo that left eight dead.
In 2019, another right-wing extremist killed his half-sister and then opened fire on a mosque, but was dominated before anyone was injured.
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Karl Ritter in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, and Jari Tanner in Helsinki contributed to this report.