Almost two dozen people were injured in a shooting at a gay bar located in Oslo, Norway, in the wee early hours of the morning on Saturday, which has since resulted in local officials canceling the city’s beloved annual Pride parade for this upcoming weekend.
It was reported by Reuters that the terrorist who allegedly carried out this horrific event, which as of writing has resulted in the deaths of two people, was “a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin, was believed to be a radicalized Islamist.”
The victims of the tragedy that were injured were “inside and outside the London Pub, a longstanding hub of Oslo’s LGBTQ scene, as well as in the surrounding streets and at one other bar in the center of the Norwegian capital,” stated the report. “The deceased were two men in their 50s and 60s.”
Christian Hatlo, the prosecutor for the case, stated to reporters that the suspect was “known to the police” and had been convicted of various violent crimes in the past. The Norwegian Police Security Service claimed that the suspect had already been on the radar of law enforcement because of concerns that he was a member of an Islamic extremist network and they stated they had spoken to him as recently as early last month.
In the wake of the event, the Norwegian Police Security Service raised the terror alert level from a moderate terrorist threat to an extraordinary threat.
Along with this increase in the terror alert level, the police officials issued a statement:
Our assessment is that this was an attack motivated by extreme Islamism. We are actively working to clarify the scope of the perpetrator’s ideological beliefs, and potential links to other Islamic extremists or extreme networks.
Experience has shown that completed terrorist attacks might inspire others to plan and commit further terrorist attacks. Our focus now is to prevent potential follow-up attacks. To clarify, we hold no information of that as of now.
As stated by the NSC coordinator for strategic communications, John Kirby, to reporters on Air Force One: “We’re all horrified by the mass shooting in Oslo today, targeting the LGBTQI+ community there. And our house our hearts obviously go out to all the families of the victims, the people of Norway, which is a tremendous ally.”
Jonas Gahr Støre, the Prime Minister of Norway, also stated, in part, “Let there be no doubt. We are a community, we are a diverse and strong community, and we will never be threatened or give up our values.”
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