Bow attack in Norway: the suspect, a 37-year-old Dane, is converted to Islam and suspected of radicalization
Sylvie Claire / October 14, 2021
Norwegian police on Thursday presented the alleged perpetrator of an archery attack that killed five people the day before in Kongsberg (southeast) as a 37-year-old Danish convert to Islam, with whom they had been in contact in the past for fears of radicalization .
There have been fears of radicalization before, Norwegian police official Ole Bredrup Saeverud told a news briefing. Those fears, which have led to a follow-up, date back to 2020 and earlier, he said.
We did not have a report on him in 2021, but before, explained the police officer.
Five people died and two others were injured in the attack, which shocked the peaceful Scandinavian kingdom, which has already been hit by two far-right attacks in the past decade.
The police had already announced that the suspect, who was arrested shortly after the events at around 6:45 p.m. local time on Wednesday evening, was a resident of Kongsberg, a small town of about 25,000 inhabitants about 80 kilometers west of Oslo.
A Danish national, he used a bow and arrow to shoot his victims, although police also mentioned other weapons.
We are investigating to confirm that the man acted alone, we have no information to the contrary, but we are continuing the investigation to be completely sure, added Mr. Bredrup Saeverud.
While remaining cautious about the possible motives of this new bloody episode, the police had not ruled out a terrorist act on Wednesday evening.