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According to the police and Norway's state broadcaster, a shooter opened fire outside two LGBTQ-friendly pubs and a café early on Saturday morning in central Oslo, leaving two people dead and several injured.
Investigators allegedly apprehended the 42-year-old suspect who is a Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin after he launched an attack at three different sites in downtown Oslo.
Reportedly, Oslo Pride organisers also postponed a march that was scheduled for Saturday as the culmination of a weeklong festival. While the reason for the suspension was unknown, just hours before the parade was scheduled to start, one of the shootings took place in front of the London Pub, a bar well-liked by the city's LGBTQ community.
Given the number of victims targeted at various locations in Norway, the suspect is detained on suspicion of murder, attempted murder, and terrorism, as per police attorney Chrisitian Hatlo. He said in a statement,
"Our overall assessment is that there are grounds to believe that he wanted to cause grave fear in the population."
On the topic of the suspect's mental health, Hatlo added:
"We need to go through his medical history, if he has any. It's not something that we are aware of now."
A detailed look into the massive gunfire incident at Norway pubs
The shootings began at 1 am in the morning, sending terrified bar patrons running into the streets or attempting to hide from the shooter.
Olav Ronneberg, a crime reporter for Norway's public broadcaster NRK, was in the neighbourhood and witnessed the violence breaking out.
He told sources,
"I saw a man arriving at the scene with a bag, he took up a gun and started shooting. First I thought, it was an airgun. Then the glass of the bar next door was shattered and I understood I had to run for cover."
Reportedly, two of the shooting vicitims died at the scene and around 10 others were being treated for significant injuries. None of the injuries are thought to pose a serious threat to life.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr wrote in a social media post:
"The shooting outside London pub in Oslo tonight was a cruel and deeply shocking attack on innocent people. We all stand by you."
Norwegian television station TV2 aired footage of terrified people running through the streets of Oslo as loud gunshots could be heard in the distance.
According to investigators, Norway's security police were aware of the accused, but not for any serious violent offences. His criminal history included drug possession and a knife-carrying offence.
Attorney Hatlo also revealed that a handgun and an automatic weapon had been seized from the accused. He added that both weapons were "not modern", without giving any further details.
He also claimed that the suspect was in communication with a defense attorney and had not provided any statement to the police. Hatlo also emphasised that it was still too early to establish whether the shooter had only singled out LGBTQ individuals.
