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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

More arrests after mass shooting

Two more suspects have been arrested in connection with a mass shooting during Oslo Pride celebrations in June. One of them had the same weapon as the gunman himself, Zaniar Matapour, who remains in police custody but continues to refuse to speak with police and prosecutors.

Oslo Police announced the latest arrests on Monday, bringing the total number of those believed to be behind the mass shooting to four. Prosecutor Børge Enoksen told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that both live in Oslo. He described them as men in their 30s and 40s, one of whom is a Norwegain citizen and the other a citizen of Somalia.

Islamic extremist Arfan Bhatti, also a Norwegian citizen but now residing in Pakistan, has also been charged in the mass shooting with international warrants out for his arrest. He has denied any involvement through his Norwegian defense attorney Svein Holden.

The shooting stunned Oslo and has been described as a terrorist act meant to spread fear, not least within the gay community. One of the men now under arrest was earlier convicted for illegal possession of an MP40 automatic weapon, the same used by Matapour when he killed two men and wounded more than 20 others on the eve of Oslo’s Pride Parade June 25. It was then postponed because of security concerns.

Both of those now arrested are charged as accessories to a terrorist act. Their defense attorneys said both denied the charges against them as they faced custody hearings. Police claim they there is a relation among all four men now charged but he would not elaborate.

NewsinEnglish.no staff

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