Two dead after gunman opens fire in Norway gay bar
Norwegian SWAT squad officers outside the gay bar where two people were slain. Photo: EPA
Two people have been killed and 14 wounded by a gunman who opened fire without warning on revellers in one of Oslo’s most popular gay bars.
A suspect, believed to be the sole perpetrator, was apprehended outside the premises within minutes of the shooting, a police spokesman told newspaper Aftenposten.
“I saw a man arrive with a bag, he picked up a gun and started to shoot,” said journalist Olav Roenneberg, who was in the London Pub in Oslo’s CBD when the attack began.
The gunman’s motive was not immediately clear, but authorities are known to be considering the imminent annual Pride parade, set for the following day, may have been a catalyst for an outburst of lethal homophobia.
Breaking: Police confirm that 2 people are dead, multiple injured, following a shooting at a gay bar in Oslo, Norway. pic.twitter.com/vldkFE5h9H
— PM Breaking News (@PMBreakingNews) June 24, 2022
Of the 14 victims rushed to hospital, several are reported to have sustained life-threatening injuries.
Photographs published by newspaper VG, broadcaster NRK and others showed a large gathering of emergency responders outside the London Pub, including police and ambulance workers.
Helicopters hovered above central Oslo while ambulance and police sirens were heard across the city. Oslo’s university hospital said it had gone on red alert following the incident.
The attack was a “terrible and deeply shocking attack on innocent people,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a statement to Norwegian news agency NTB.
“We don’t know yet know what is behind this terrible act, but to the queer people who are afraid and in mourning, I want to say that we stand together with you.”
Two people were confirmed dead and some 14 people were taken to hospital, several with severe injuries, police said.
Photographs published by newspaper VG, broadcaster NRK and others showed a large gathering of emergency responders outside the London Pub, including police and ambulance workers.
Helicopters hovered above central Oslo while ambulance and police car sirens were heard across the city.
Oslo’s university hospital said it had gone on red alert following the shooting.
-AAP
