In connection with a shooting that left two people dead in central Oslo in June, Norwegian police announced on Friday that they had filed an international arrest order for a second suspect who is said to be in Pakistan.
Police initially stated during a press conference that they were looking for a 40-year-old Norwegian man who had already come on their radar and was believed to be traveling at the time for “complicity in a terrorist attack.” Later, they corroborated a claim from TV2 that the suspect was Arfan Qadeer Bhatti, a 45-year-old with a criminal history. They didn’t say what part he was supposed to have played in the shooting or where he was at the time. Bhatti was reportedly believed to be in Pakistan, which does not have an extradition agreement with Norway, according to TV2. Extradition was a “possibility,” according to the police, and coordination with the relevant nation was positive.
During festivities associated with the city’s Pride festival, the first suspect, Zaniar Matapour, is accused of opening fire at a gay club in central Oslo in the early hours of June 25. Two males, 54 and 60 years old, were shot to death, while 21 other people were injured. Matapour, 43, was detained without delay. The PST intelligence service in Norway had been aware of Matapour, a Norwegian of Iranian descent, since 2015. His radicalization and affiliation with “an extreme network” raised questions. According to Norway’s internal intelligence service, Matapour had “difficulties with his mental health” and that the attack was “an act of terrorism.” He is currently receiving treatment at a mental health facility for a court-ordered mental evaluation.
On the day of the city’s annual Pride celebration in June 2022, terrified patrons at a gay pub in Oslo fled to the basement and desperately called loved ones as a shooter went on the rampage, murdering two people and injuring 21 more. The attack happened in the early morning hours, and victims were shot both inside and outside of the London Pub, a longtime focus of Oslo’s LGBTQ community, as well as in the nearby streets and at one other bar in the city’s center. Thousands of people conducted an unofficial march through Oslo’s center while yelling in English, “We’re here, we’re gay, and we won’t disappear,” when the official parade was canceled. Following that, the Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and their 16-year-old son Prince Sverre Magnus placed red and white roses close to the London Pub with the assistance of other officials.
The shooter was captured minutes after beginning his shooting rampage, according to police, who believed he acted alone. The Prince stated that two weapons, one of which was an automatic weapon, were found at the scene of the murder. Police said they suspected the attacker acted alone and that he was apprehended minutes after starting the shooting spree. The Prince stated that two weapons, one of which was an automatic weapon, were found at the scene of the murder. The 5.4 million-person Nordic country has lower crime rates than many Western nations, but it has had killings driven by hatred, like when far-right fanatic Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people there in 2011.
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