The club is popular in the queer scene. The Pride parade planned for today has been cancelled. / Oslo attack
The Norwegian authorities have launched a terrorist investigation after the deadly shooting in Oslo. Two people were killed and at least 21 people injured, ten seriously, in the early-morning attack outside a nightclub popular with the queer scene. There was also shooting in front of a neighboring club and on the street.
Police soon managed to overpower the suspected shooter. This is known to the domestic secret service, which is also responsible for countering terrorism, said police chief Christian Hatlo at a press conference. He is also known to the police for minor offenses such as carrying a knife and drug possession. A handgun and an automatic weapon were seized in connection with the crime.
Hatlo said the number of fatalities, injuries and crime scenes led to the assessment that the attack was a terrorist attack: there was reason to believe that the suspect wanted to spread fear and terror with his action.
Pride parade cancelled
The shots were fired on the eve of the Pride parade planned for Oslo. The organizers canceled this in the morning. It’s not clear if the shooting was related to the parade scheduled to take place in the city today, the spokesman said. According to the organizers, the police advised them to cancel anyway.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Störe spoke of a “terrible and deeply shocking attack on innocent people”. It is not yet known what is behind “this terrible act”, “but I would like to say to the queer people who are afraid and mourning that we stand with you,” he told the NTB news agency. A reporter from public broadcaster NRK said he saw a man arrive with a bag: “He took a gun and started shooting.”
