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Algerian held in Oslo doctor's fatal stabbing
A 37-year-old man from Algeria, who was appealing the denial of his application for asylum in Norway, was in police custody Thursday. He's charged with stabbing a doctor to death in downtown Oslo on Wednesday. The fatal stabbing set off a dramatic mid-day manhunt that ended Wednesday night with the arrest of Kamel Mellah, who reportedly has a record of psychiatric problems. Police had been able to identify the murder suspect fairly quickly, because he'd had an appointment with Dr Stein Sjaastad in Sjaastad's doctor's office earlier in the day. Mellah, who initially wasn't identified in Aftenposten because of editorial policy, is charged with threatening the doctor's receptionist, pulling a knife on Sjaastad and stabbing him repeatedly in the neck and chest area. The doctor died at the scene. Police spokesman Finn Abrahamsen said Mellah had been in Norway for a few years but hadn't been granted permanent resident status. Abrahamsen said he was known for being aggressive towards healthcare workers, and police had warned healthcare personnel in Oslo Wednesday afternoon not to deal with him in case he sought them out while on the run. Mellah had lived at an asylum center in Mosjøen, northern Norway, until last year, when he moved to Oslo. Newspaper Aftenposten reported that he had a history of psychiatric problems and once had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital in northern Norway. Posted by: Seafarious 2006-03-31 |
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