On 25 June 2022, two people were killed and twenty-one people were wounded in a
mass shooting
There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 200 ...
in
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
, Norway. Police are treating the incident as an "act of
Islamist terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
". The target may have been the Oslo
LGBTQ pride
LGBT pride (also known as gay pride or simply pride) is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to sha ...
event, which was hosted by the local branch of the
Norwegian Organisation for Sexual and Gender Diversity
The Norwegian Organisation for Sexual and Gender Diversity (Norwegian: ''FRI – foreningen for kjønns- og seksualitetsmangfold'') is the oldest, largest and preeminent Norwegian member organization representing the interests of gay, lesbian, bi ...
.
Police arrested Zaniar Matapour, a Norwegian citizen from
Sanandaj
Sanandaj (Persian: سنندج, ; ku, سنە, Sine, often romanized as Senneh, is the capital of Kurdistan Province in Iran. With a population of 414,069, Sanandaj is the twenty third largest city in Iran and the second largest Kurdish city. San ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, who lived in Norway since 1991.
They later confirmed that they had known of Matapour since 2015, saying that he had been
radicalized into
Islamic extremism
Islamic extremism, Islamist extremism, or radical Islam, is used in reference to extremist beliefs and behaviors which are associated with the Islamic religion. These are controversial terms with varying definitions, ranging from academic unde ...
.
They also said he had a "history of violence and threats", as well as mental health issues. He has been
charged with murder,
attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions.
Canada
Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seven ye ...
, and
terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
.
Shooting
The shooting occurred at locations associated with Oslo Pride, the local
LGBT pride
LGBT pride (also known as gay pride or simply pride) is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to sham ...
event hosted by the Oslo branch of the
Norwegian Organisation for Sexual and Gender Diversity
The Norwegian Organisation for Sexual and Gender Diversity (Norwegian: ''FRI – foreningen for kjønns- og seksualitetsmangfold'') is the oldest, largest and preeminent Norwegian member organization representing the interests of gay, lesbian, bi ...
, the night before the planned pride parade in Oslo. The first shooting occurred at London Pub, a popular
gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT communities.
Gay bars once served as ...
, and
nightclub
A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music.
Nightclubs gener ...
. A journalist from the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK who was present stated he witnessed a man arrive with a bag, then pick up a weapon and start shooting. The journalist thought it was an air gun at first, until the glass shattered at the bar next door. According to one witness, the perpetrator shouted "''
Allahu Akbar
Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...
''" as he started shooting.
The perpetrator then moved to two more nearby locations, including the bar Per på hjørnet and a takeaway restaurant. Police were called at 01:15 local time and arrived minutes later.
The suspect was detained five minutes after the shooting. 80 to 100 people hid in the pub's basement during the attack,
and wounded people were lying both inside and outside the bar with the police describing the scene as "chaotic".
Victims
Two people were killed and twenty-one others injured, ten of whom were critically injured while the other eleven were slightly injured.
The deceased victims were a 60-year-old man, killed at the London Pub, and a 54-year-old man, killed at the Per på hjørnet bar. Both victims resided in
Bærum
Bærum () is a municipality in the Greater Oslo Region in Norway that forms an affluent suburb of Oslo on the west coast of the city. Bærum is Norway's fifth largest municipality with a population of 128,760 (2021). It is part of the electoral ...
.
Oslo University Hospital
Oslo University Hospital ( no, Oslo universitetssykehus; OUS) is a university hospital in Oslo, Norway. With over 24,000 employees it is List of hospitals by staff, the largest hospital organization in Europe. It is affiliated with the University o ...
reported that it had gone on red alert following the attack. Ten people received medical treatment for serious injuries. According to
Eskil Pedersen
Eskil Pedersen (born 6 March 1984 in Skien) is a Norwegian politician and former leader from 2010 to 2014 of the Workers' Youth League (AUF), the youth organisation associated with Norway's leading Labour Party.
Pedersen survived the massacre ...
, a number of those present in London Pub, including himself, were also on
Utøya
Utøya () is an island in the Tyrifjorden lake in Hole municipality, in the county of Viken, Norway. The island is , situated off the shore, by the E16 road, about driving distance south of Hønefoss, and northwest of Oslo city centre.
Over ...
during
the shooting
''The Shooting'' is a 1966 American Western film directed by Monte Hellman, with a screenplay by Carole Eastman (using the pseudonym Adrien Joyce). It stars Warren Oates, Millie Perkins, Will Hutchins, and Jack Nicholson, and was produced by ...
by
domestic terrorist
Domestic terrorism or homegrown terrorism is a form of terrorism in which victims "within a country are targeted by a perpetrator with the same citizenship" as the victims.Gary M. Jackson, ''Predicting Malicious Behavior: Tools and Techniques ...
Anders Behring Breivik
Fjotolf Hansen (born 13 February 1979), better known by his birth name Anders Behring Breivik () and by his pseudonym Andrew Berwick, is a Norwegian far-right domestic terrorist, known for committing the 2011 Norway attacks on 22 July 2011. On ...
.
Investigation
At a
press conference
A press conference or news conference is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicians, corporations, non-governmental organ ...
on 25 June 2022, the police said that they believe the attack could be motivated by
anti-LGBT
Anti-LGBT rhetoric comprises themes, catchphrases, and slogans that have been used against homosexuality or other non-heterosexual sexual orientations in order to demean lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. They range from t ...
hate, and be intended to target Oslo Pride. Norway has seen sustained attacks against the LGBT community and the Pride event from anti-LGBT extremists on social media. Scholar said that the attack took place in the context of attacks on LGBT minorities and rights by the
anti-gender movement
The anti-gender movement is an international movement which opposes what it refers to as "gender ideology", " gender theory" or "genderism". The concepts cover a variety of issues and have no coherent definition. Members of the anti-gender move ...
in Norway. The head of the Norwegian government's Extremism Commission, Cathrine Thorleifsson, as well as
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
, linked the attack to a pattern of increased attacks on LGBT+ people in Norway and Europe, both on extremist online forums and open social media platforms.
Matapour's lawyer
John Christian Elden
John Christian Elden (born 2 July 1967) is a Norwegian lawyer and politician for the Conservative Party. Both his father, John Elden, and his great-uncle, O.C. Gundersen, were lawyers. Elden has been a defender in a number of high-profile crimina ...
said they have suspended the interrogations because Matapour is afraid that the police are manipulating it. Elden told ''
Aftenposten
( in the masthead; ; Norwegian for "The Evening Post") is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen) and estimated 1.2 million ...
'' that Matapour is afraid that the police will switch the recorded tapes and demands that everything must be written down. Elden confirmed that Matapour will be interrogated on Sunday morning, though it was later confirmed that he refused to appear for questioning, adding an additional demand—that his interrogation be made public in its entirety.
In February 2023, media said that on 19 June, an islamist contacted a person on the
chat service, Telegram; the person contacted was an undercover agent of the
Norwegian Intelligence Service
The Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS) or Etterretningstjenesten (E-tjenesten) is a Norwegian military intelligence agency under the Chief of Defence and the Ministry of Defence.
History
Olav Njølstad says that the "stay-behind cooperation ...
; the islamist wanted contact with IS and wrote to the agent that some "brothers" were planning an operation in Europe; the islamist said that the "brothers" had two requests: They wanted approval from IS, prior to the operation, and the "brothers" also requested that the terror organisation would take responsibility for the attack, afterwards, according to the information of newspaper
VG; At the same time, the intelligence service knew the identity of the islamist, even though he was using a handle/pseudonym (''kallenavn''); the agency also suspected who was pulling the strings (''bakmann''):
Arfan Bhatti
Arfan Qadeer Bhatti (born 9 August 1977) is a Norwegian Islamist and a leading figure in the Islamic State-affiliated group Profetens Ummah.
Early life
Bhatti was born and raised in Oslo to parents of Pakistani origin. He spent several years in ...
.
[https://www.vg.no/nyheter/i/venev4/den-hemmelige-operasjonen. VG.no. Retrieved 2023-02-13] After the attack, the islamist (but not
Bhatti
Bhatti () is a clan of Rajputs and Jats found in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Bhattis along with Bhuttos and Bhatias claim to have originated from the Hindu Bhati Rajputs.
In the years preceding the Indian rebellion of 1857 the British ...
) sent a news-article about the attack, to the undercover agent; Shortly after the attack, Bhatti was put into contact with an undercover agent who was posing as "an
emir
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...
, a leader of
The Islamic State"; the contact was established as a result of the dialogue between the (first-mentioned) islamist and the (first-mentioned) undercover agent; the "fake emir" and Bhatti, kept in touch, for at least 8 weeks after the attack.
[
]
Accused
The suspect was identified as 42-year-old Norwegian Iranian Zaniar Matapour (born June 27, 1979), who moved from Iran to Norway in 1991 when he was 12. He has been charged with murder, attempted murder, and acts of terrorism. It is still unknown whether Matapour had accomplices.
Matapour had an extensive criminal background from drug and assault offenses, but had received only "minor convictions" prior to the attack, according to a Norwegian prosecutor. His mother said that he had previously been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. ...
.
According to the public broadcaster ''NRK
NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting Aksjeselskap, AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and ...
'', Matapour has been in contact with Arfan Bhatti
Arfan Qadeer Bhatti (born 9 August 1977) is a Norwegian Islamist and a leading figure in the Islamic State-affiliated group Profetens Ummah.
Early life
Bhatti was born and raised in Oslo to parents of Pakistani origin. He spent several years in ...
, an Islamist extremist with several violence convictions. On 14 June, Bhatti, who has also been represented by Elden in the past, posted a burning rainbow flag
A rainbow flag is a multicolored flag consisting of the colors of the rainbow. The designs differ, but many of the colors are based on the spectral colors of the visible light spectrum.
The LGBT flag introduced in 1978 is the most recognized u ...
with a caption calling for the killing of LGBT+ people on Facebook. Bhatti is a leading figure in Profetens Ummah
Profetens Ummah ( en, "The Prophet's Ummah", ar, أمة النبي) is a Salafi-jihadist Islamist organisation based in Norway. Since its emergence in late 2011 the group has become notorious for its vocal demonstrations, as well as statements ...
, which has recruited people for Islamic State
An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...
. ''Verdens Gang
''Verdens Gang'' ("The course of the world"), generally known under the abbreviation ''VG'', is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper. In 2016, circulation numbers stood at 93,883, having declined from a peak circulation of 390,510 in 2002. ''VG'' is n ...
'' reported that Matapour had been stopped by police in April when he was in the same car as Bhatti. The police later confirmed that they had known of the suspect since 2015, believing that he had been radicalised into Islamic extremism
Islamic extremism, Islamist extremism, or radical Islam, is used in reference to extremist beliefs and behaviors which are associated with the Islamic religion. These are controversial terms with varying definitions, ranging from academic unde ...
.
On 23 September, police stated Arfan Bhatti is suspected of involvement in the shooting, and that an arrest warrant had been issued regarding him. In the autumn of 2022, Bhatti was arrested by police in Pakistan; he is still in police custody as of February 2023.[
]
Aftermath
The pride parade
A pride parade (also known as pride march, pride event, or pride festival) is an outdoor event celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer culture, queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, LGBT rights by country o ...
and related events scheduled to be held in Oslo were cancelled after the shooting. National Police Chief, Benedicte Bjoernland, said in a statement that all Pride events in Norway should be postponed, since the LGBT community is considered the "enemy" by Islamist extremists. Police also advised people to celebrate Pride in smaller groups. Despite warnings, several thousand people still attended a makeshift parade, with armed police in the lead, and laid down rainbow flags as well as flowers at London Pub.
The National Police Commissioner Marie Benedicte Bjørnland
Marie Benedicte Bjørnland (born 30 April 1965) is a Norwegian lawyer. She is the current Director of Police since 2019, and was the head of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) from 2012 to 2019.
She was born in Kristiansand and grew up ...
announced a temporary nationwide arming of police officers in Norway. Additionally, Norway entered its highest terror alert level
In the United States, the Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) was a color-coded terrorism threat advisory scale created in March 2002 under the Bush Administration in response to the September 11 attacks. The different levels triggered spe ...
, although the Norwegian Police Security Service
The Norwegian Police Security Service (, ) is the police security agency of Norway. The agency was previously known as ''POT'' (' or Police Surveillance Agency), the name change was decided by the Parliament of Norway on 2 June 2001.
History an ...
had "no indication" further attacks were likely to happen.
The Oslo Pride organisation organised a "Rainbow parade" walk for 10 September.
Reactions
Domestic
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre
Jonas Gahr Støre (; born 25 August 1960) is a Norwegian politician who has served as the prime minister of Norway since 2021 and has been Leader of the Labour Party since 2014. He served under Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg as Minister of For ...
called the shooting a "terrible attack on innocent people", and expressed solidarity with the LGBT community. He added that the fight against hate was not over, but that it could be overcome together. Støre reiterated that while the perpetrator had Islamist motivations, the attack was the fault of an individual and not Norway's Muslim community. In his speech on the anniversary of the 2011 Norway attacks
The 2011 Norway attacks, referred to in Norway as 22 July ( no, 22. juli) or as 22/7, were two domestic terrorist attacks by neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik against the government, the civilian population, and a Workers' Youth League (AUF) ...
, the Prime Minister said that "we know that queer people are the targets of hate, threats and violence. The incitement of hate is especially virulent against trans people. We will not accept this in Norway. We will use the memory of 22 July, in respect for those we lost, to turn our backs on this hate." Støre also called on moderate Muslims to call out homophobic and transphobic attitudes and actions.
The president of the Norwegian Parliament Masud Gharahkhani
Masud Gharahkhani ( fa, مسعود قرهخانی; born 22 September 1982) is a Norwegian politician who has served as the President of the Storting since 2021, and as an Member of the Storting for Buskerud since 2017 for the Labour Party.
E ...
, a Norwegian-Iranian, stated that it was "sad and unacceptable" that such a brutal attack could occur.
King Harald V
Harald V ( no, Harald den femte, ; born 21 February 1937) is King of Norway. He acceded to the throne on 17 January 1991.
Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the lin ...
stated that the attacks had horrified the royal family, and he expressed a need to stand together to defend freedom and diversity. Similarly, Crown Prince Haakon
Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway (; Haakon Magnus; born 20 July 1973) is the heir apparent to the Norwegian throne. He is the only son of King Harald V and Queen Sonja.
Haakon represents the fourth generation of the sitting Norwegian royal famil ...
stated that Norway needed to protect the right "to love whomever we want".
Bishop Olav Fykse Tveit
Olav Fykse Tveit (born 24 November 1960) is a Norwegian Lutheran theologian and bishop, and the current Preses of the Bishops' Conference of the Church of Norway. He was elected to the post of general secretary of the World Council of Churches ...
, the Preses of the Church of Norway
The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...
, expressed his belief that love would gain new strength following the attack.
International
Many leaders of other countries were shocked, and gave condolences; some, such as French President Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...
, encouraged people to stand together. Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (; Albrecht, born 8 October 1958) is a German politician who has been serving as the president of the European Commission since 2019. She served in the Cabinet of Germany, German federal government between 2005 an ...
, president of the EU Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
, expressed that she was shocked by the attack. Finnish President Sauli Niinistö
Sauli Väinämö Niinistö (; born 24 August 1948) is a Finnish politician who has served as president of Finland since March 2012, the 12th person to hold that office.
A lawyer by education, Niinistö was Chairman of the National Coalition Part ...
and Prime Minister Sanna Marin
Sanna Mirella Marin (; born 16 November 1985) is a Finnish politician who has been serving as the Prime Minister of Finland since 2019. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP), she has been a Parliament of Finland, Member of Pa ...
gave their condolences on Twitter and condemned all forms of terrorism.
John Kirby, a White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
spokesperson, stated that the White House was "horrified" by the shooting and expressed solidarity with Norway and the LGBT community.
See also
* 2022 Bratislava shooting
On 12 October 2022, two people were killed, and a third person was wounded, in a shooting in Bratislava, Slovakia. The shooting occurred in front of the Tepláreň gay bar, a well-known spot frequented by the local LGBT community. The deceased in ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oslo shooting, 2022
June 2022 events in Norway
June 2022 crimes in Europe
2022 in LGBT history
2022 mass shootings in Europe
2022 shootings
Attacks on bars in Europe
Attacks on nightclubs
2022 shootings
Deaths by firearm in Norway
Islamic terrorism and Norway
Islamic terrorist incidents in 2022
LGBT and Islam
LGBT in Norway
Mass shootings in Norway
Spree shootings in Norway
Terrorist incidents in Europe in 2022
Violence against LGBT people in Europe
2022 murders in Norway