Norwegian police announced on Saturday that they were investigating the shooting at an Oslo nightclub as an act of Islamic extremist terrorism. Two people died and 21 were injured. Due to the attack, organizers canceled the LGBTQIA+ Pride parade that would take place in the city.
The suspected shooter is a 42-year-old Norwegian man of Iranian origin and a history of violence, threats and mental illness. The man, whose identity has not been revealed by authorities, was detained shortly after the attack.
According to the head of the Norwegian intelligence service, Roger Berg, the suspect had been monitored by the authorities since 2015 because he had contact with an Islamic network, and there were concerns about his radicalization. Norwegian agency officials spoke to him last month but did not consider at the time that he had “violent intentions”. For now, he is believed to have acted alone, although police are still investigating whether he had help preparing the attack.
The shooting took place on the night of this Friday (24, Saturday morning in Norway). The crime scene extended from the London Pub, a popular bar frequented by LGBT people in the center of town, to a neighboring club and a nearby street. “There are reasons to think this is a hate crime,” said police spokesman Christian Hatlo.
NRK journalist Olav Roenneberg told the network’s website that he saw a man arrive at the nightclub with a bag. Then he started shooting. Two weapons described by Hatlo as “old” were seized at the crime scene.
On the recommendation of the authorities, organizers of the LGBT Parade in Oslo announced the cancellation of all events that were scheduled for this Saturday. On social media, the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Stoere, expressed solidarity with the victims.
“The shooting outside the London Pub in Oslo is a horrific attack on innocents and deeply shocking,” Stoere posted. “We still don’t know the reasons for this terrible act, but to the homosexuals who are now scared and grieving, I want to say that we are together with you.”
Norway’s King Harald the 5th also released a statement saying he and the entire royal family were devastated by the news of the attack. “We must remain united and defend our values: freedom, diversity and respect for others,” said the monarch.
According to local authorities, ten of the injured are in a serious but stable condition. Another 11 people had minor injuries. Rainbow flags, a symbol of the LGBT cause, and bouquets of flowers were placed near the scene of the attack, which was cordoned off.
Generally peaceful, Norway experienced moments of terror on July 22, 2011, when right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people at government headquarters in Oslo and at a youth gathering on Utoya Island. Most of the victims were among the youth of the leftist Norwegian Labor Party.
