The Norwegian Domestic Intelligence Service (PST), which is responsible for counter-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 downtown Norway. ‘Oslo.
• Read also: Shooting in Oslo: the privileged “terrorist” track, the LGBT march canceled
• Read also: Two dead and several injured in shooting near a gay bar in central 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,” said the head of 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 offenses.
According to Mr. Berg, the intelligence services had spoken to 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”.