Bow-and-arrow killings in Norway seen as ‘act of terror’

KONGSBERG, Norway — Norwegian authorities said Thursday the bow-and-arrow rampage by a antheral who killed 5 radical successful a tiny municipality appeared to beryllium a violent act, a shocking onslaught successful a Scandinavian state wherever convulsive transgression is rare.

Police identified the attacker arsenic Espen Andersen Braathen, a 37-year-old Danish citizen, who was arrested Wednesday night. They said helium utilized the bow and arrow and perchance different weapons to randomly people radical astatine a supermarket and different locations successful Kongsberg, a municipality of astir 26,000 wherever helium lived, earlier helium was seized by constabulary connected the street.

Police said they judge helium acted alone.

“The full enactment appears to beryllium an enactment of terror,” said Hans Sverre Sjoevold, caput of Norway’s home quality service, known arsenic the PST.

“We bash not cognize what the information of the perpetrator is,” Sjoevold said successful English. “We person to hold for the result of the investigation.”

He said the fishy was known earlier by the PST, but helium declined to elaborate.

Regional Police Chief Ole B. Saeverud described the antheral arsenic being known arsenic a Muslim person and said determination “earlier had been worries of the antheral having been radicalized,” but helium did not elaborate oregon accidental wherefore helium was antecedently flagged oregon authorities did successful response.

Police said 4 women and 1 antheral betwixt the ages of 50 and 70 were killed. Three different radical were wounded, constabulary said.

Andersen Braathen is being held connected preliminary charges and volition look ceremonial charges Friday.

Mass killings are uncommon successful low-crime Norway, and the onslaught instantly drew comparisons with the country’s worst peacetime slaughter a decennary ago, erstwhile a right-wing home extremist killed 77 radical with a bomb, a firearm and a pistol.

People person “experienced that their harmless section situation abruptly became a unsafe place,” Norwegian King Harald V said Thursday. “It shakes america each erstwhile horrible things hap adjacent us, erstwhile you slightest expect it, successful the mediate of mundane beingness connected the unfastened street.”

Newly appointed Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere called the onslaught “horrific.”

“This is unreal. But the world is that 5 radical person been killed, galore are injured and galore are successful shock,” Gahr Stoere told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

Police were alerted to a antheral shooting arrows astir 6:15 p.m. and arrested him astir 30 minutes later. Regional authoritative Ann Iren Svane Mathiassen, told The Associated Press that aft the man’s arrest, helium “clearly described what helium had done. He admitted sidesplitting the 5 people.”

Dozens of radical saw the killings. Erik Benum, who lives connected the aforesaid roadworthy arsenic the supermarket that was attacked, told The Associated Press that helium saw store workers taking structure successful doorways.

“I saw them hiding successful the corner. Then I went to spot what was happening, and I saw the constabulary moving successful with a shield and rifles. It was a precise unusual sight,” Benum said.

On Thursday morning, the full municipality was eerily quiet, helium said.

“People are bittersweet and shocked,” Benum said.

Svane Mathiassen, the prosecutor, said the bow and arrows were conscionable portion of the attacker’s arsenal. Police person not said what different weapons were used.

Norwegian media reported that the fishy antecedently had been convicted of burglary and possession of drugs, and past twelvemonth a section tribunal granted a restraining bid ordering him to enactment distant from his parents for a six-month play aft helium threatened to termination 1 of them.

Svane Mathiassen, who is starring the investigation, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the fishy volition beryllium assessed by forensic psychiatric experts Thursday.

“This is not antithetic successful specified superior cases,” she was quoted arsenic saying.

PST said Thursday that the panic menace level for Norway remains unchanged and was considered “moderate.” The main religion successful Kongsberg was unfastened to anyone successful request of support.

“I don’t deliberation anyone expects to person these kinds of experiences. But cipher could ideate this could hap present successful our small town,” parish clergyman Reidar Aasboe told the AP.