Nearly two dozen people were shot at a gay bar in Oslo, Norway, early Saturday, leading officials to cancel the city’s annual Pride parade this weekend.
Reuters reported that the terrorist who allegedly committed the atrocity, which killed at least two people, was a “a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin, was believed to be a radicalized Islamist.”
The victims who were shot were “inside and outside the London Pub, a longstanding hub of Oslo’s LGBTQ scene, as well as in the surrounding streets and at one other bar in the center of the Norwegian capital,” the report added. “The deceased were two men in their 50s and 60s.”
Prosecutor Christian Hatlo told reporters that the suspect was “known to the police” and had in the past been convicted of crimes. The Norwegian Police Security Service said that the suspect was on law enforcement’s radar due to concerns that he was part of an Islamic extremist network and that they had talked to him as recently as last month.
The Norwegian Police Security Service raised the terror alert level from a moderate terrorist threat to extraordinary threat situation following the shooting.
The Norwegian Police Security Service added in a statement:
Our assessment is that this was an attack motivated by extreme Islamism. We are actively working to clarify the scope of the perpetrator’s ideological beliefs, and potential links to other Islamic extremists or extreme networks.
Experience has shown that completed terrorist attacks might inspire others to plan and commit further terrorist attacks. Our focus now is to prevent potential follow-up attacks. To clarify, we hold no information of that as of now.
John Kirby, the NSC coordinator for strategic communications, told reporters on Air Force One: “We’re all horrified by the mass shooting in Oslo today, targeting the LGBTQI+ community there. And our house our hearts obviously go out to all the families of the victims, the people of Norway, which is a tremendous ally.”
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in-part: “Let there be no doubt. We are a community, we are a diverse and strong community, and we will never be threatened or give up our values.”