T
Frightened partygoers at a gay bar in Oslo hid in a basement and desperately called their loved ones while a gunman shot himself, killing two people and wounding 21 on the day the city was to celebrate its annual Pride Parade.
At least 10 more people were injured at the London Pub in Oslo at 1am local time after a gunman opened fire on the popular gay bar and nightclub. Some were killed to escape the gunman’s attention.
Two men between the ages of 50 and 60 were killed, police said.
Authorities said the suspect, a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen of Iranian descent, is believed to be a radicalized Islamist with a history of mental illness who has been known to the intelligence services since 2015.
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 three different locations.
READ MORE
“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.
Security forces are at the scene where several people were injured during a shooting outside the London pub in central Oslo.
/ via REUTERS
Police spokesman Tore Barstad said earlier that it was unclear if the shooting had any connection to the Pride parade to be held on Saturday.
“The police are in contact with the organizers of this Saturday’s Pride event. There will be an ongoing assessment of what steps the police should take to protect this event and whether this incident has any connection to Pride, ”he told reporters.
Police Inspector Tore Soldal said 10 people were being treated for serious injuries, but none of them were believed to be life-threatening.
“Everything indicates that this has been an attack by an Islamist extremist,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said at a news conference.
“We still don’t know if the queer community was the intended target, but we know it’s a victim.”
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.”
Norwegian media said the shots were fired outside the London Pub, which is described as Oslo’s most popular gay bar since it opened in 1979.
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.
Oslo Pride said it was in contact with police after the incident, but that it had decided to cancel the event.
“Therefore, Oslo Pride urges everyone who planned to participate or watch the parade not to show up.
“All Oslo Pride-related events are canceled,” organizers said on the event’s official Facebook page.