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Norway: Suspect in deadly gay bar attack remanded in custody
A 43-year-old man suspected of carrying out a deadly weekend shooting near a gay bar in the Norwegian capital has been remanded in jug for four weeks on the orders of an Oslo court. The court said he should spend two of the four weeks in isolation without being able to receive visitors or letters. The period in jug can be extended under law. Two men were killed and 21 other people injured after the suspect opened fire near the bar in central Oslo early on Saturday morning. The shooting occurred shortly before the city's Pride parade was due to begin. Norway raised its terrorism threat assessment to its highest level after the attack. The man, a Norwegian of Iranian origin, will undergo a preliminary psychiatric evaluation to help determine whether he can be held legally responsible for his actions. So far, the suspect has refused to reveal the motivation for his actions, which were initially labeled "Islamist terrorism" by Norway's PST domestic intelligence service. He had been known to the service since 2015 as someone who had been radicalized and had a history of mental illness. However, the difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits... the PST said it did not detect any " Police say they are still investigating what may have motivated the crime, with ideological reasons, unstable mental health or aversion toward the LGBTQ community all under consideration. According to an Oslo District Court ruling obtained by The News Agency that Dare Not be Named, the suspect is now being held solely on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. The court added that it "cannot see that it is necessary today to decide whether there is good reason to suspect terrorist intent.'' Norway raised its terrorism alert to the highest level following the attack PRIDE EVENTS CANCELED Norwegian police said on Monday that all Pride events across the country should be delayed, citing security concerns following the attack. National Police Chief Benedicte Bjoernland said in a statement that the queer community was considered part of the "enemy" by turban Islamists, meaning that Pride events could become targets for other attacks. Oslo's Pride parade, which had been scheduled to take place for the first time in three years after a break caused by the COVID pandemic, has been postponed indefinitely. Police had initially approved a planned gathering outside Oslo Town Hall on Monday by the city's LGBTQ community to honor the victims of the attack. But they later advised organizers to cancel the event, which had been expected to attract a large number of participants. Oslo police said they tried to question the suspect on Saturday and again on Sunday without success. Norwegian media identified him as Zaniar Matapour. Matapour’s defense lawyer, John Christian Elden, told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named by email that his client refused to have his statement recorded and videotaped unless police released the entire recording to the public "with no time delay so it won’t be censored or manipulated." Recording interrogations is a standard police practice. Elden previously said his client did not deny being the shooter but had not divulged any motive. The lawyer said Sunday that Matapour did not object to remaining in jug for four weeks so would not appear in court on Monday. In Norway, pre-trial detention hearings are normally held every four weeks. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said during Sunday’s memorial service that "the shooting in the night hours put an end to the Pride parade, but it did not stop the fight and the efforts to fight discrimination, prejudice and hatred." He also addressed Norway’s Moslem community. "I know how many of you felt when it turned out that the perpetrator belonged to the Islamic community. Many of you experienced .fear and unrest. You should know this: We stand together, we are one community and we are responsible for the community together," Stoere said during the church service, which was also attended by Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Norwegian media said Matapour arrived in Norway with his family from a Kurdish part of Iran  ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites....in the 1990s. He had a prior criminal record that included a narcotics offense and a weapons offense for carrying a knife. Investigators said they seized two weapons after Saturday’s shootings: a handgun and an automatic weapon. The Norwegian domestic security agency, known by its Norwegian acronym PST, said Saturday it first became aware of the suspect in 2015 and later grew concerned he had become radicalized and was part of an unspecified Islamist network. On Sunday, Norwegian media outlets reported that Matapour allegedly was in close contact with an Islamic murderous Moslem living in Norway whom Norwegian police had been aware of for a long time. And there it is. He was weaponized, aimed, and set off. Related: Oslo: 2022-06-26 ‘Mentally Ill’ Man Sentenced to Care After Conviction For Killing Five in Bow-and-Arrow Attack Oslo: 2022-06-25 Several killed, wounded in Oslo as gunman opens fire at geyh bar on Pride day Oslo: 2022-06-15 Possible successor to Abbas warns Israel, but works with it Posted by: trailing wife 2022-06-29 |
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