Shooting at Norway mosque to be investigated as possible act of terrorism - police

Monday, 12 August 2019 00:25 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

OSLO (Reuters): A shooting at a Norwegian mosque on Saturday will be investigated as a possible act of terrorism, police said on Sunday.

“We’re investigating this as an attempt at carrying out an act of terrorism,” assistant chief of police Rune Skjold told a news conference.

The man suspected of a shooting at a mosque in Norway may also have killed a relative before launching the attack, police said late on Saturday.

“A young woman was found dead at the suspect’s address,” Skjold told a news conference, adding that the man was suspected of murder.

Police earlier said a “young white man” had been apprehended following an armed attack at the al-Noor Islamic Centre near the country’s capital, adding that members of the congregation had overpowered the gunman and stopped the shooting.

An older man sustained light injuries in the attack but it was too early to say if the wounds were caused by the gunshots or sustained during the attempt to restrain the gunman, according to police

An initial statement had said one person was shot in the attack.

The suspected attacker appeared to have acted alone, the police added.

“He is around 20 years old, a Norwegian citizen from the area,” Skjold told Reuters.

“The man carried two shotgun-like weapons and a pistol. He broke through a glass door and fired shots,” mosque director Irfan Mushtaq told TV2.

The shooter, who wore body armour and a helmet, was overpowered by members of the mosque before police arrived, Mushtaq added.

Only three people were present in the mosque at the time of the attack, preparing for Sunday’s celebration of the Eid-al-Adha festival, which up to 1,000 people had been expected to attend, mosque spokesman Waheed Ahmed told Reuters.