Norway bow and arrow attack 'appears to be act of terror' as five killed

14 October 2021, 13:11

A bow and arrow attack in Norway which killed five people 'appears to be an act of terrorism', Norway's security agency has said.

A 37-year-old Danish man, a Muslim convert who was flagged as being radicalised, confessed to the attack but has not been identified by officials.

Prosecutor Ann Iren Svane Matthiassen said he admitted to the rampage near Oslo on Wednesday evening and was questioned overnight.

By Thursday afternoon, Norway's security agency said it appeared to have been a terror attack.

He had previously been flagged as having been radicalised, police said on Thursday.

Several of the victims, which include two people who were wounded in the incident in Kongsberg, were in a supermarket, police said. Four women and a man were killed, all aged between 50 and 70.

Officers had a "confrontation" with the assailant in connection with the arrest but officials did not provide further details.

Both wounded victims - one of whom is an off-duty police officer who was in the supermarket - are in intensive care.

NTB, a Norwegian news agency, said police believe the suspect used other weapons besides the bow.

Read more: Five people killed after man goes on bow and arrow rampage in Norwegian town

The man in custody lives in Kongsberg and is known to police. He has a medical history, Ms Svane Matthiassen told broadcaster TV2.

Police, who were alerted to the attack at about 6.15pm on Wednesday, think he acted alone. Officers arrested him about 30 minutes later.

Police spokesman Oeyvind Aas said: "We will return to a more detailed description of the course of events when we have a better overview of what happened.

"It goes without saying that this is a very serious and extensive situation, and it naturally affects Kongsberg and those who live here."

The incoming prime minister, Jonas Gahr Stoere, said what happened was "horrific". He is set to take office on Thursday.

"This is unreal. But the reality is that five people have been killed, many are injured and many are in shock," Mr Gahr Stoere told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said he was "shocked and saddened by the tragic news coming from Norway".

The main church in the town of 26,000 is open to anyone needing support.