Oslo Pride Canceled After Shootings At Gay Bar Kill 2, Wound 10

A shooter opened fire in Oslo’s nightlife district early Saturday, killing two people and badly wounding ten others. The incident, which occurred during the annual Pride festival in the Norwegian capital, is being investigated by the police as a possible terrorist attack.

After opening fire at three different locations in the downtown area of Oslo, the suspect, who investigators have identified as a Norwegian citizen aged 42 and originally from Iran, was arrested and taken into custody.

The organisers of Oslo Pride cancelled a parade that was scheduled to take place on Saturday as the highlight of a weeklong festival. The reason behind the cancellation is still unknown. Just a few hours before the start of the parade, one of the shootings took place in front of the London Pub, which is a bar that is very famous among members of the LGBTQ community in the city.

Christian Hatlo, an attorney for the police department, stated that the suspect was being held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder, and terrorism due to the large number of victims who were targeted at different locations.

According to the statements made by Hatlo, “Our overall assessment is that there are grounds to believe that he wanted to cause grave fear in the population.”

According to Hatlo, additional investigations are being made on the suspect’s mental health.

“It is necessary for us to investigate his medical history, if he has one. It is not something that we are aware of at the moment, “he stated.

The shootings took place at approximately 1 a.m local time, prompting terrified revellers to run into the streets or attempt to hide from the attacker.

According to Olav Roenneberg, a journalist working for the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, he was there during the shooting.

“I saw a man arrive at the site with a bag. He picked up a weapon and started shooting,” Roenneberg told NRK. “First I thought it was an air gun. Then the glass of the bar next door was shattered and I understood I had to run for cover.”

According to the police inspector Tore Soldal, two of the people who were shot died, and ten other people were taken to the hospital with serious injuries; however, none of their injuries was believed to be life-threatening.

In a post on Facebook, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere described the shooting that took place outside the London Pub in Oslo as “a cruel and deeply shocking attack on innocent people.”

He stated that the LGBTQ community was in shock and grief as a result of the attack, even if it was not obvious what motivated the gunman.

“We all stand by you,” Gahr Stoere wrote.

Christian Bredeli, who was present at the bar, revealed to the Norwegian newspaper VG that he and a group of approximately ten other people hid on the fourth floor of the building until they were told it was safe to come out.

“Many were fearing for their lives,” he said. “On our way out we saw several injured people, so we understood that something serious had happened.”

Norwegian broadcaster TV2 showed footage of people fleeing through the streets of Oslo in panic as gunshots could be heard in the background.

According to the investigators, the suspect was known to the police as well as Norway’s security police, although not for any major violent crime. According to Hatlo, the suspect had a criminal record that included a narcotics offence as well as a weapons offence for carrying a knife.

After the incident, according to Hatlo, police were able to seize two weapons: a handgun and an automatic weapon. He described both of these weapons as “not modern,” but did not provide any further details.

He said that the suspect had not provided any statements to the police and was in contact with a defence attorney.

According to Hatlo, it is too early to establish whether the shooter specifically targeted members of the LGBTQ community.

He remarked that they needed to investigate the matter more because “we do not yet know.”

Meanwhile, police have advised the organisers of the Pride festival that they cancel the parade Saturday.

“Oslo Pride therefore urges everyone who planned to participate or watch the parade to not show up. All events in connection with Oslo Prides are canceled,” organizers said on the official Facebook page of the event.

Although Norway has a low overall crime rate, it has been the target of violent attacks carried out by right-wing extremists. In 2011, Norway was the site of one of the deadliest mass shootings in European history when a gunman killed 69 people on the island of Utoya after detonating a bomb in Oslo that claimed the lives of eight people.

In 2019, another right-wing extremist killed his stepsister. After the murder, he went to a mosque and opened fire, but he was overpowered before anyone inside the mosque was hurt.