A man in his 20s was charged on Wednesday in yet another stabbing in the Norwegian capital Tuesday night. It was the latest in a series of violent attacks, some of them in broad daylight, and another man was in hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Tuesday night’s attack occurred in a crosswalk in Oslo’s Grønland district downtown. It followed two stabbings in the Furuset district on Oslo’s east side on Monday which landed both male victims in hospital in critical condition. Police wouldn’t say whether the attacks were related, with operations leader Rune Hekkelstrand telling state broadcaster NRK that it was “much too early to speculate about the background for this incident.”
The attack follow seven others in the capital in just the last three weeks, raising concerns that gang rivalry is re-emerging after the Corona crisis. Police said the level of violence was “back to pre-Corona levels in 2019.”
Three stabbings have been registered since July in the Stovner area, not far from Furuset, and newspaper Avisa Oslo reported that two teenagers were caught and charged for carrying a loaded revolver, two folding knives and a machete while at high school in the Hellerud district. The boys are aged 16 and 17 and were stopped in June while chasing another. The 16-year-old has remained in police custody since June.
Raymond Johansen, leader of Oslo’s city government, insists Oslo is a safe city but the attacks have raised fears among residents of Stovner. One woman told NRK she no longer allows her children to be alone at the local playground and a local official said he could understand the apprehension, adding that “it must be safe to be here, whether at night or day.”
NewsinEnglish.no staff
