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In the alleged “terror” attack in Norway, a man killed five people with a bow and arrow. Meanwhile, some information about the perpetrator is known – an overview.
Oslo – Four women and a man between the ages of 50 and 70 were killed in an attack in Kongsberg, Norway – three others were injured. A man had shot around with a bow and arrow at several locations in the center of the small town southwest of Oslo. Investigators in Norway have now classified the attack as an “act of terrorism”. . An overview of information about the perpetrator.
Attack in Norway: What we know so far about the perpetrator
According to the police, the perpetrator is a 37-year-old man from Denmark. He was known to the police as a potentially radicalized Muslim before the crime, it said on Thursday. The motive for the crime is still unclear at the current time. The authorities also opened a psychiatric examination.
In the attack on Wednesday evening, the perpetrator shot at several locations in the center of the 28,000-inhabitant city of Kongsberg with a bow and arrow – including in a supermarket. He killed five people and injured three more. Other weapons are said to have been used in his attack.
At this “stage” of the investigation, the attack had “the appearance of an act of terrorism,” said the head of the PST, the secret service responsible for the fight against terrorism, Hans Sverre Sjovold, at a press conference. The investigation would have to be pushed ahead to clarify the suspect’s motive. Police officer Ole Bredrup Saeverud had previously announced that the perpetrator had probably converted to Islam. “There have been fears of radicalization before,” Saeverud said. However, these refer to 2020 and the years before that.
Attack in Norway: the perpetrator apparently made a confession
According to the police, the suspect made a confession during the interrogation. His motive was still unclear. “We’re pretty sure he acted alone,” Saeverud said. A judge will decide on Friday whether B. is in custody – presumably in the absence of the 37-year-old.
A psychiatric examination of the suspect began on Thursday. This could take “a few months”, said prosecutor Ann Iren Svane Mathiassen.
The man’s mental health may be an important question, said intelligence chief Sjovold, suggesting a medical history. “For this person there was a back and forth in the health system for a while.”
The Norwegian secret service confirmed that he knew the alleged perpetrator, but did not provide any details. According to media reports, there were two convictions against the man: last year he was banned from visiting two relatives because of a death threat and in 2012 he was convicted of burglary and drug trafficking.
An eyewitness to the attack in Kongsberg, southwest of Oslo, told TV2 that she heard noise and then saw a woman take cover. A man was standing on the corner with a bow in hand and a quiver of arrows. “Then I saw people running for their lives,” she reported. (rjs / afp)