Oslo, capital of Norway, cancels LGBTQIA+ parade after attack on gay bar

The city government of Oslo, capital of Norway canceled the official Pride Parade parade LGBTQIA+ that would take place this Saturday (25) after a gunman attacked a gay bar. At least two people died, and twenty were injured.

Norwegian police said they are investigating the attack as an act of terrorism. The bar, called the London Pub, is the biggest meeting place for gays and lesbians in Oslo. Among the injured, eight were taken to a hospital.

Police received several calls about the shooting at 1:14 am local time, and arrived at the bar minutes later. They arrested the suspect three minutes after arrival, authorities said.

The suspect, accused of terrorism is a Norwegian citizen from the Will and was “known to the police” but has received only “minor convictions” so far, prosecutor Christian Hatlo told reporters in Oslo on Saturday.

Norway’s domestic intelligence service said it was working to clarify whether more violence was planned after the shooting. The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) announced in a tweet on Saturday that it had been “informed about the Oslo shooting”.

“We are now contributing all the relevant information we have to the Oslo Police Station and we are working to clarify whether further acts of violence can be planned. At the moment, we have no indication of this,” the PST said.

Hatlo said police charged the suspect with “murder, attempted murder and terrorist acts.”

He further stated that the terrorism charge was justified on the basis of the number of people injured and killed and a “general assessment” indicating that the accused intended to “create serious fear in the population”.

Police have already tried to interrogate the suspect but have not yet been successful in doing so, according to Hatlo. The suspect was taken to the police station, and the police told the CNN that there were currently no other suspects.

As for the allegations, Hatlo said authorities will see “what the investigation shows.”

According to authorities, the man was armed with two guns during the shooting. They have not confirmed which weapons he used due to the pending investigation.

There were wounded on the floor inside and outside the bar when the police arrived. “The scene was chaotic, it was a hot night and a lot of people were outside, so there were people running everywhere,” police told the police. CNN .

Among the eight wounded taken to hospital, three people are in critical condition. Another 14 victims suffered minor injuries.

In a statement published in the Facebook after the shooting, the London Pub condemned the incident as “absolutely terrible and pure evil”. The bar said all its staff were safe and expressed condolences to the victims and their families.

Oslo’s annual LGBTQIA+ Pride parade, scheduled to take place on Saturday, was canceled after the shootings following “clear advice and recommendations from the police”.
Writing on Facebook, organizers asked everyone not to attend and said that all events related to the event were also cancelled.

“We will follow the police’s recommendations and take care of each other. Warm thoughts and love go out to the relatives, the injured and others affected,” said Oslo event organizer Inger Kristin Haugsevje and Association for Gender and Sexuality Diversity leader Inge Alexander Gjestvang, in a joint statement.

“Soon we will be proud and visible again, but today we will hold and share pride celebrations at home,” he said.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre also expressed his condolences to the victims, calling the shooting “an attack cruel and deeply shocking to innocent people.”

“My thoughts go out to the victims and their relatives,” he said on Facebook. “We still don’t know what was behind this terrible act, but for the queer community that is now scared and grieving, I want to say that we are all with you.”

The Speaker of the Norwegian Parliament, Masud Gharahkhani, also expressed his condolences.

“That something so brutal and terrible can happen. People were in town for a holiday of diversity and love,” said Gharahkhani. “I also see over and over again what kind of hateful comments abound on social media when we mark queer diversity. It is sad and unacceptable.”

*With information from Reuters