Norway | The shooting in Oslo treated as “an act of Islamist terrorism”

(Oslo) The Norwegian domestic intelligence services (PST), in charge of anti-terrorism, announced on Saturday that it was treating as “an act of Islamist terrorism” the fatal shooting that occurred overnight near a gay bar in the center -City of Oslo.

Arrested shortly after the attack which left two dead and 21 injured, the suspect “has a long history of violence and threats” and the PST has had him on its radar “since 2015 in connection with concerns about his radicalization” and his membership “in an extremist Islamist network”, declared the head of the services, Roger Berg, during a press briefing.

Oslo police had previously presented the suspect as a 42-year-old Norwegian of Iranian origin, known to the PST but also for minor crimes.

According to Mr. Berg, the intelligence services had spoken with him last month but had not then judged that the person concerned had “violent intentions”.

The PST is also aware of “difficulties related to his mental health”, he said.

The intelligence services have also raised the level of threats against the Scandinavian country, deeming the situation “extraordinary”.

“He is suspected of homicide, attempted homicide and terrorist act,” said a police official, Christian Hatlo, at a press conference.

This last count is motivated by “the number of injured and killed, the number of crime scenes – at least three – and […] there are good reasons to believe that he intended to sow terror,” he added.

According to the police, the vital prognosis of the injured is not or no longer engaged.

The shooting happened around 1 a.m. outside a pub, Per på hjørnet, and then outside a nearby gay club, the London Pub, in what was then a crowded neighborhood on a hot summer night.

“There are reasons to believe that this is a hate crime,” added Mr. Hatlo, referring to the nature of the places targeted, “in particular the London Pub”.

The LGBT Pride March scheduled for Saturday afternoon in Oslo has been cancelled.

Following “clear” police recommendations, “all Oslo Pride-related events are cancelled,” organizers wrote in a statement.

In a show of solidarity, many people, often in tears and silent, came to lay rainbow flags and bouquets of flowers near the scene of the attack cordoned off by the police, AFP journalists noted. .

“Today is a day that reminds us that Pride is a day for which we must fight, the goal has not yet been reached”, testified Trond Petter Aunås met on site.

At this stage, the police believe that the author of the shooting acted alone, even if the investigation will have to shed light on possible complicity in the preparation.

Police forces have been reinforced in the capital to deal with possible other incidents, and officers, who are generally unarmed in Norway, have been instructed to arm themselves across the kingdom.

For their part, the anti-terrorist services said they were “working to determine whether other attacks may have been planned”. “For the moment, we have no indication in this direction”, specified the PST on Twitter.

“Scene of War”

The suspect was arrested at 1:19 a.m. on Saturday, five minutes after the initial reports.

Civilians helped with his capture as well as with first aid, according to the police who hailed “a heroic contribution”.

The man had already had to deal with the police for minor acts such as carrying a knife or a conviction for possession of narcotics.

Two weapons were seized in connection with the attack: an automatic weapon and a handgun, which Mr. Hatlo presented as “old”.

A witness interviewed by the newspaper Verdens Gang (GV) evoked “a scene of war”. “There were plenty of injured people on the ground who had head injuries,” he said.

According to an NRK journalist present at the time of the shooting, the shooter arrived with a bag from which he pulled out a weapon with which he fired.

A black bag was still visible on Saturday on the sidewalk in an area strewn with broken glass where forensic experts were busy.

“The shooting outside the London Pub in Oslo tonight is a horrific and deeply shocking attack on innocent people,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said.

“To the homosexuals who are now afraid and grieving, I want to say that we are all together with you,” he wrote on Facebook.

A government conference is scheduled for 2 p.m.

King Harald said he was “horrified”. “We must come together to defend our values: freedom, diversity and mutual respect,” he said in an official statement.

Generally peaceful, Norway has nevertheless been the scene of bloody attacks such as those perpetrated on July 22, 2011 by right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik.