Two more suspects arrested after deadly mass shooting during Norway Pride festival

Two further arrests have been made in connection with a deadly mass shooting at a Pride event in Oslo, Norway, in June that killed two people and injured more than 19.

Flowers and rainbow flags were laid after a shooting near an LGBT bar in Oslo, Norway in June 2022. (Martin Solhaug Standal/NTB/AFP/Norway OUT via Getty Images)

 

Police have said two suspects, a man in his 40s and a Norwegian national in his 30s, were arrested on Sunday (25 September), while a second Norwegian man in his 40s is still being sought, Associated Press reported.

On 25 June 2022, it was reported gunfire was heard at 1.14am local time in three locations, including a popular LGBTQ+ venue named London Pub.

Several people were injured, with many rushing to flee venues close by, or attempting to hide in basements.

Olav Ronneberg, a crime reporter for the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, told the outlet he saw a man “arrive at the scene” with a bag, before taking up a gun and shooting it.

A witness to the attack said: “I was in the outer bar in London when it happened. I just noticed that a shot was fired, and I was hit by a shard of glass.

“There were more and more and more shots, so I escaped into the inner bar and tried to get as many as possible with me.”

Along with 43-year-old Zaniar Matapour, who was arrested shortly after the incident, the total number of suspects connected to the mass shooting now stands at four.

The only suspect of the four to have not yet been arrested is believed to be in Pakistan, with Norwegian authorities stating: “To ensure the best possible cooperation with the Pakistani authorities, we had officials from the Oslo police district in Pakistan a short time ago.”

 

Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Norway’s minister of international development, lays flowers at the memorial site where two people where shot in a homophobic attack in Oslo, Norway in June 2022. (Beate Oma Dahle/NTB/AFP/Norway OUT via Getty Images)

 

Despite officials cancelling the official Oslo Pride celebrations on the day of the horrific attack due to safety reasons, thousands of people gathered together in an emotional display of solidarity just hours after.

“Seeing people crying, cheering and being courageous to go to the streets is the most beautiful thing I witnessed,” a marcher tweeted at the time.

A vigil was also held in Soho, London, with mayor of London Sadiq Khan among those to speak.

“In these dark and difficult times London stands shoulder to shoulder with Oslo,” he said.

“Yes, we are here to show solidarity, but we are also here to send an emphatic message to those who seek to spread hatred and to those who seek to sow division, and to those who terrorise LGBT+ communities: you will not succeed.”

Harry Styles, who performed at Telenor Arena in Norway a week after the attack, paid an emotional tribute to the victims of the shooting.

“I am well aware that, right now, this means more to you than it ever has before,” he told the crowd, holding a rainbow flag. 

“I just wanna tell you that I’m very sorry, and I hope you all feel safe in here with each other.”

 

 

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