From Friday night, June 24 to Saturday, June 25, gunfire was heard in the center of the Norwegian capital, Oslo, at around 1am. One of the liquor stores, including the gay hostel, was shot. 2 were killed and 21 were injured, and the state regrets that their main prognosis is no longer involved. What happened ?
A man was shot dead in central Oslo between Friday and Saturday. He targeted three nearby bars, including a gay hostel. Following the report of the shooting, the attacker was soon arrested. An investigation has been opened and the police support the “terrorist” path.
What happened ?
Friday night, June 24th Everything was hopeful. The heat of this summer night and the Pride parade the next day were enough to fill the town center’s taverns. It was. At 1am, the Per Bahornet bars and the London Club, the gay bar, were packed with people. This is where a gunman opened fire on a nearby bar.
After a mass shooting at a gay bar, some bar viewers can be seen in the video wrestling with Islamist Janier Mathapur.
They almost sacrificed their own lives. Andreas Flicks, who saw the arrest from his window, says it was unbelievable that they would take that fight.
What wonderful civil courage! ?? pic.twitter.com/qUhlfeZh0i
– ாfarbodjalali (farbodjalali) June 25, 2022
The attack killed two people and injured 21, including ten, but their main prognosis was no longer involved. The deceased were both in their fifties and sixties. According to an NRK reporter who was present at the time of the shooting, the shooter came with a bag from which he pulled out a shotgun. He was immediately arrested by three police officers who stopped him on the ground.
Norwegian authorities have praised “a heroic contribution” from the public at the scene who helped make the arrests and provided first aid to victims lying on the ground.
Who fired the shots?
The Norwegian media has identified him as Janier Mathapur, who was given to him as a father of Iranian Kurdish descent who came to Norway as a child. For their part, Oslo police identified the suspect as a 42-year-old Norwegian of Iranian descent. Roger Berg, head of Norway’s Intelligence (PST), said the alleged perpetrator of the attack had “a long history of violence and intimidation”.
The PST kept him on its radar regarding his “concerns about his extremism since 2015” and his membership in “an extremist Islamic network”, but services concluded that interviews with him last month “had no violent motives”. “There are reasons to believe this is a hate crime,” said Christian Hatlow, a police officer who said:
Norway: Two people have been killed in a shooting near a gay hostel in Oslo
Norwegian intelligence is considering a trace of “Islamic terrorism.” pic.twitter.com/mcqqwAGOUx
– BFMTV (FBFMTV) June 25, 2022
Is this a terrorist attack?
However, the Norwegian security services support the path of this “Islamic terrorism”. Considering the background of the accused offender, the authorities have leaned more towards the hypothesis of assault. At the moment, investigators believe there was only a 42-year-old man behind the shooting, but they could not confirm it. Anti-terrorism services are on a wartime basis to determine if other attacks are expected. However, Norway is very cautious. Police have been instructed to carry weapons when not in general, so their numbers will be strengthened. As a precaution, the LGBTQI + Pride March scheduled for Saturday, June 25 has been canceled.
Between horror and mobilization
Despite the cancellation of the Pride march, many members of the LGBTQI + community gathered this Saturday. A spontaneous march called out to thousands of people, “We are here, we are weird. We will not disappear” (“We are here, we are weird. We will not disappear”). “I think it’s wonderful that this parade is taking place, otherwise he would have won,” one participant in his fifties openly said with regret. As a sign of solidarity, many people, often in tears and silence, surrounded by police and came to place rainbow flags and bouquets near the scene of the attack.
The political class responded with sadness and anger. “Today, we must celebrate love and color our streets with the colors of the rainbow. Instead, we are drowning in sorrow,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Kar Store told a news conference. “Even though we do not know that homosexual circles were targeted, we know that (they) are victims,” he added. “We share your frustration. We are united.” King Harold said he was “terrified.” We must unite to protect our values such as freedom, diversity and mutual respect, “he said.
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