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Mourning at the crime scene: terror alert level 5
Photo: TERJE PEDERSEN / AFP
The Norwegian domestic news service PST classifies the terrorist attack on a queer bar in Oslo as Islamist-motivated.
The 42-year-old Iranian-born Zaniar M. has been in the sights of the security authorities since 2015 and has repeatedly attracted attention through violence and threats, PST boss Roger Berg said at a press conference.
There had been concerns in the past that the Norwegian citizen had become radicalized and joined an Islamist network, Berg said.
The PST spoke to M. in May of this year without any result.
Work is currently underway to clarify the exact "degree of ideological motivation and the connections to other extremists or associated networks," said Berg.
The investigator expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
Police investigator Christian Hatlo had previously said that the aim of the attacker was to spread terror among the population.
However, the suspect is also said to have had mental health problems in the past.
His mental state will be examined.
Norway is now tightening security measures because of the attack.
The terror warning level has been increased from 3 (moderate) to the highest level of 5 (especially), said PST boss Berg.
Sender: Thousands of demonstrators on the streets
Specifically, all police officers in the country must temporarily carry weapons.
"Based on information from the PST and the Oslo Police District, we have decided to introduce temporary arming," said Police Commissioner Benedicte Bjørnland.
Unlike in Germany, the Norwegian police are generally unarmed.
On the evening before the big Pride parade in Oslo, the attacker used firearms to attack the London Pub in the center of the Norwegian capital, which has been popular in the LGBTQ* community for decades.
Two people died and more than 20 were injured, ten of them seriously.
During the night, investigators had searched the suspect's apartment, among other things, and two weapons, including an automatic one, were secured.
The man has not yet been interrogated, but according to the newspaper "Dagbladet" exchanges information with his defense attorney.
The organizers of the 40th Pride Parade planned for today had canceled the event on the advice of the police.
They recommended thinking about each other from home and in the respective neighborhoods and standing up for the rights of queer people.
Apparently that's not enough for thousands of Oslo residents.
According to the broadcaster NRK, thousands gathered along the route designated for the parade in the trendy district of Grønland for a spontaneous demonstration for the rights of the community.
"The fight goes on," they shouted.
Apr