Two killed, 10 hurt in Oslo shooting
A gunman opened fire in Oslo’s night-life district early yesterday, 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 central Oslo.
While the motive was unclear, organisers of Oslo Pride cancelled a parade that was set for yesterday as the highlight of a week-long 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 lawyer 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.
He said: “Our overall assessment is that there are grounds to believe he wanted to cause grave fear in the population.”
Hatlo said the suspect’s mental health was also being investigated.
“We need to go through his medical history, if he has any. It’s not something that we’re aware of now,” he said.
The shootings happened about 1am local time, sending revellers fleeing into the streets or trying to hide from the gunman.