Two people have been killed and 21 injured in three consecutive shootings in Oslo, including in a gay bar. All Pride events have been cancelled.
Authorities in the Norway’s capital said a 42-year-old Norwegian national of Iranian origin who was previously known to policehad been arrested within minutes of the shootings and was believed to be the sole perpetrator.
The state prosecutor, Christian Hatlo, told a news conference on Saturday that 10 people had been seriously injured in the shootings and 11 more were slightly wounded. Two weapons, a pistol and an automatic rifle, had been seized, he said.
The man was “suspected of murder, attempted murder and terrorist acts”, the public broadcaster NRK reported the prosecutor as saying. “There is reason to think that this concerns a hate crime. That is one of the hypotheses.”
Police said they were investigating “whether Pride was a target in itself, or whether there were other motives”. The attack was also being investigated as “a possible act of terrorism”, a police spokesperson said.
Hatlo said psychiatric problems may be a factor. “We have to go through his full medical history,” the prosecutor said.
First reports of the shootings, which happened at the London Pub, a popular bar for the LGBTQ+ community, the nearby Herr Nilsen jazz club, and a takeaway food outlet, were received at 1.14am, hours before the city’s Pride celebrations were due to start.
Organisers said they had called off the march and all related events after receiving “clear advice and recommendations” from the police. “Now we will follow the police’s recommendations and take care of each other,” they said.
“Warm thoughts and love go to relatives, the injured and others affected. We will soon be proud and visible again, but today we will hold and share Pride celebrations from home,” said Inger Kristin Haugsevje, leader of Oslo Pride.
A witness said the suspect, who was arrested within five minutes of the shootings, had looked “very determined about where he was aiming. There was a bleeding man lying on the ground,” she told Verdens Gang.
Another witness quoted by the paper described “a lot of injured people on the ground who had head injuries”. An NRK radio journalist who was present at the time of the shooting said the shooter arrived with a bag from which he pulled out a weapon.
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“First I thought it was an air gun. Then the glass of the bar next door was shattered and I understood I had to run for cover,” Olav Rønneberg said.
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Another witness, Christian Bredeli, told Verdens Gang he hid on the fourth floor with a group of about 10 people until he was told it was safe to come out. “Many were fearing for their lives,” he said. “On our way out we saw several injured people, so we understood that something serious had happened.”
Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, said the attack was a “terrible and deeply shocking attack on innocent people”. The motive for the shootings was not clear and “we don’t know yet know what is behind this terrible act”, he said. “But to the queer people who are afraid and in mourning, I want to say we stand together with you.”
King Harald said he and his family were “horrified by the night’s shooting tragedy … We sympathise with all relatives and affected and send warm thoughts to all who are now scared, restless and in grief,” he said.
Norway is generally a peaceful country with lower crime rates than many other western nations, but has previously experienced hate-motivated shootings, including the massacre of 77 people by far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik in 2011.
Two people have been killed and 21 injured in three consecutive shootings in Oslo, including in a gay bar.
The attacks came on the eve of LGBTQ Pride celebrations in the city. Following the shootings, all Pride events have been cancelled.
Authorities in the Norway’s capital said a 42-year-old Norwegian national - who appears to have been previously known to police - had been arrested within minutes of the shootings and was believed to be the sole perpetrator.
Investigators have confirmed to the media that it is possible that the attack was a hate crime against the LGBTQ community.
The bar that was attacked was the London Pub - one of Oslo's best known LGBTQ venues. Shots were also fired at a nearby jazz bar and a takeaway food outlet.
Violence of this nature is rare in Norway, but this attack will trigger comparisons to a mass shooting in 2011 when 77 people were killed by a far-right extremist.
What's life like for LGBTQ people in Norway?
What’s life like for LGBTQ people in Norway? Let’s take a look at some of the key equality indicators.
Is homosexuality legal in Norway?
Yes. It was decriminalised in 1972.
Are there anti-discrimination protections in place in Norway?
Yes. Protections were implemented in 1981 – one of the first countries in the world to protect people from discrimination on the basis of sexuality.
Is there Marriage Equality in Norway?
Yes. Marriage Equality was adopted in 2009.
What’s life like for LGBTQ people in Norway?
Norway is one of the countries at the forefront of LGBTQ equality.
However, this attack - people killed in a gay bar on the eve of Pride - will send shockwaves through the community and the entire country.
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