2 killed in shooting at Pride fest in Oslo

A gunman opened fire in Oslo’s night-life district early Saturday, killing two people and leaving 10 seriously wounded in what police are investigating as a possible terrorist attack during the Norwegian capital’s annual Pride festival.

Investigators said the suspect, identified as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, was arrested after opening fire at three locations in downtown Oslo.

While the motive was unclear, organisers of Oslo Pride cancelled a parade that was set for Saturday as the highlight of a weeklong festival. One of the shootings happened outside the London Pub, a bar popular with the city’s LGBTQ community, just hours before the parade was set to begin.

Police attorney Christian Hatlo said the suspect was being held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and terrorism, based on the number of people targeted at multiple locations. “Our overall assessment is that there are grounds to believe that he wanted to cause grave fear in the population,” Hatlo said. The shootings happened around 1 a.m. local time, sending panicked revellers fleeing into the streets or trying to hide from the gunman.

Investigators said the suspect was known to police, as well as to Norway’s security police, but not for any major violent crimes. His criminal record included a narcotics offense and a weapons offense, Hatlo added.

Hatlo said police seized two weapons after the attack: a handgun and an automatic weapon, both of which he described as “not modern” without giving details. He said the suspect had not made any statement to the police.

Hatlo said it was too early to say whether the gunman specifically targeted members of the LGBTQ community. Still, police advised the organizers to cancel the parade event on Saturday.