The 42-year-old former plumber who was born in Iran is the terror suspect accused of killing two people and injuring 21 others at an Oslo gay bar last night.
Zaniar Matapour was born in Iranian Kurdistan and fled there as a 12-year-old before arriving in Bergen, Norway.
After the homophobic terror assault at the popular LGBT+ hangout London Pub in the city center, he was charged early this morning with two murders, an attempted murder, and terrorism.
Just one month ago, Matapour was the subject of an investigation by the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), which concluded that he was “not an imminent threat,” according to Norwegian national television VG.
In May, the PST interviewed the [suspected] offender in relation to the fact that he had exhibited interest in remarks that are seen as a breach of Islam, according to PST chief Roger Berg, who was speaking at a press conference this afternoon.
In these discussions, it was not implied that the [suspected] offender intended to use violence.
Security services have increased the threat of terrorism from Level 3, which is classified as “common,” to Level 5, which is “exceptional.”
According to the PST, Level 5 warnings just require increased “vigilance” and “a low threshold to inform the police,” with no other specific criteria for the general populace.
Despite the suspected hate crime from yesterday night, videos posted to social media showed hundreds of Pride marchers assembling in Oslo.
Matapour, a secondary school dropout with a lengthy history of mental health problems, received a ten-month prison term when he was a teenager after being implicated in a stabbing at the prom.
According to court records examined by Norwegian publication NettaVisen, the Court of Appeal cleared him.
The Oslo terror suspect Matapour’s participation in serious crime did not end there; in 2019 he was accused with attempted murder and possessing a handgun.
After a judicial appeal, he was once more released.
The purported victims of Matapour’s attack last night are still unidentified.
According to the website, Matapour received his initial mental health diagnosis in the 1990s, with paranoid schizophrenia, PTSD, and “delusions” among his stated illnesses.
High-profile Norwegian John Christian Elden, the suspect’s attorney, asked that the suspect’s mental health issues be taken into consideration by authorities.
This afternoon, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre said: “I know that many Muslims feel terrified and hopeless. Then it is our duty to ensure that no one else is at fault besides the attacker.
We are one community, and we are a varied community, let there be no misunderstanding.
In a memorial tweet released this afternoon, French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the “barbarism of the Islamist terrorist.”
A man was seen being pulled to the ground by police with the assistance of revelers following the tragic melee in central Oslo yesterday night.
One woman recalled having to pretend to be dead to escape the shooter’s bullets.
The neighboring Herr Nilsen Jazz Club was also a target of the attack this morning about 1.15 a.m. Partygoers there reported being struck by flying glass pieces.
“There was a woman who pushed me down and told me I had to pretend dead,” the speaker claimed.
Then, immediately behind her, the man fired at the table. She made it out of London Pub unscathed.
“Our overall opinion is that there are reasons to assume that he sought to provoke great anxiety in the population,” police attorney Christian Hatlo said.
If he has a medical history, we must review it. We are not aware of it at this time.
Later on Saturday, Oslo was scheduled to host its annual gay pride march, but organizers decided to postpone the event owing to concerns over potential “copycat” attacks.
This morning, Oslo Pride’s organizers posted on Facebook that they had received unambiguous information and a suggestion to cancel the parade, Pride Park, and all other related events.
Lead organizer Inger Kristin Haugsevje added, “We shall abide by the police’s advice and look out for one another.”
Two people have been confirmed dead in the shooting episode, the Oslo Police District said Friday night. There are a number of serious injuries.
Witnesses claimed that people fled the scene in terror, according to Norway’s national newspaper, VG.
The university hospital in Oslo declared that after the incident, it had been placed on red alert.
Journalist with the Norwegian national broadcaster NRK Olav Roenneberg claimed to have seen the shooting.
“I observed a man enter the area carrying a bag. According to Mr. Roenneberg, he picked up a gun and started shooting.
I initially believed it to be an air gun. I realized I needed to rush for cover when the glass of the bar next door broke.
Two shooting victims passed away, according to police inspector Tore Soldal, while 10 other individuals were being treated for significant injuries, none of which were thought to be life-threatening.
In a Facebook post, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere referred to the shooting outside the London Pub as “a brutal and extremely shocking attack on innocent people.”
He claimed that although the shooting’s motivation was unknown, the LGBTQ community had been shaken and grieved as a result.
Mr. Gahr Stoere wrote, “We all stand behind you.”
Christian Bredeli, who was at the pub, told VG that he and a group of about 10 others hid on the fourth floor until they were told it was okay to go.
He claimed that “many were afraid for their lives.” We realized that something major had occurred because we observed several injured people on the way out.
Nightclub patrons with blood on their faces were treated by emergency personnel in pictures posted online.
Unofficially confirmed video that was posted on social media purported to show one man with a severe head wound.
‘Up to 20 rounds’ were said to have been fired inside the nightclub.
The police encourage locals to make way for ambulances, according to a tweet from Norway’s BNN Newsroom.
Numerous ambulances were in the neighborhood treating the injured as a sizable police response was in progress.
While police and ambulance sirens could be heard all around the city, helicopters hovered over the center of Oslo.
This morning, London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted: “London stands with Oslo.”
The victims, their families, and all those impacted by this heinous attack, which occurred hours before Oslo’s #Pride was scheduled to take place, have our thoughts and support. Hate will never triumph because #LoveIsLove.