Norway | The shooting in Oslo is considered an “act of Islamic terrorism.”

(Oslo) Norwegian security services in support of the trail of “Islamic terrorism” led to the cancellation of an LGBTQ Pride march scheduled for this Saturday after a night of shootings near a gay hostel in downtown Oslo.

Pierre-Henry Desaiys with Viken Kandarci
French Media Company

Roger Berg, head of the Norwegian Internal Intelligence Service (BST), announced that he had been arrested shortly afterwards, killing two and injuring 21, including ten, on charges of “having a long history of violence and intimidation.” Anti-terrorism.

The PST kept him on its radar regarding “concerns about his radicalization since 2015” and his membership in “an extremist Islamic network”, but interviews with him last month led to the conclusion that he had “no violent motives”. “, He told a news conference.

Oslo police have previously identified the suspect as a 42-year-old Norwegian man of Iranian descent.

PST is also aware of “difficulties related to his mental health”. Mr. Berg said.

His lawyer, John Christian Elton, told the Norwegian news agency NTB that he expects his client to be subjected to “judicial surveillance” to determine his mental state, as is usually the case in serious cases.

The shooting took place at around 1am (2300 GMT Friday) outside a nearby gay club in London, outside a pub called Per Bahornet, on a hot summer night.

According to the police, the main prognosis of the injured is no longer involved or not. The victims were two men in their 50s and 60s, he said.

The LGBTQ Pride parade, which was scheduled to take place on Saturday afternoon in Oslo for the first time in three years due to the epidemic, was canceled on the recommendation of the police.

“Heroic” civilians

However, a spontaneous march of thousands of people rallied and shouted “We are here, we are weird. We will not disappear” (“We are here, we are weird. We will not disappear”).

One participant in his fifties explained, “I think it’s wonderful that this march is taking place, otherwise he would have won.”

As a sign of solidarity, many people, often in tears and silence, came out to place rainbow flags and bouquets near the scene of the attack, which was surrounded by police.

At this point, police believe the shooter acted alone and need to shed light on who may have been complicit in the investigation.

The police force in the capital has been strengthened to deal with any more incidents, and officers, who are generally unarmed in Norway, have been instructed to arm themselves throughout the kingdom.

From a “moderate” position, the PST raised the level of threats against the Scandinavian country “extraordinarily”, arguing that the situation was still “chaotic”.

The suspect was arrested Saturday (23:19 GMT Friday) at 1:19 a.m., five minutes after the initial report.

According to the police, who hailed him as a “heroic contribution”, the public helped catch him and give him first aid.

The person already had to face police for minor acts such as carrying a knife or being punished for possession of drugs.

“All together”

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.

Two firearms were seized in connection with the attack, which police described as “outdated”.

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.

A black bag was also found Saturday on the sidewalk in a broken glass area where forensic experts were busy.

“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.

“It simply came to our notice then that we were not aware that homosexual groups were being targeted[ils] Victims, ”he added. “We share your frustration. We are united “.

King Harold said he was “terrified.” “We must unite to protect our values ​​of freedom, diversity and mutual respect,” he said in an official statement.

Normally peaceful Norway has been the scene of bloody attacks since July 22, 2011, carried out by right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik.