“Unfortunately, we can confirm that there are several injured and also, unfortunately, several deaths”Øyvind Aas, a local police official, said at a press conference.
“The man who committed this act was detained by the police and, as far as we know, there is only one person involved,” he added.
The motive for the attack, which occurred at various locations in the Kongsberg city center, remains unknown.
The police did not give details about the suspect, except that he is a man and that he was taken to the police station in the neighboring city of Drammen.
“We are not looking for other people,” Øyvind Aas said.
According to the TV2 channel, the man also had a knife and / or several other weapons.
The injured were taken to hospitals. At the moment neither his number nor his status is known.
The incident took place shortly before 6:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. GMT) in the center of Kongsberg.
On Twitter, local police said witnesses saw a man, armed with a arco and arrows, and that he used them against people.
The authorities urged the population to stay in their homes.
Several neighborhoods were cordoned off and television images showed a large police deployment heavily armed and ambulances.
A helicopter and a demining team were also dispatched to the scene. And the National Intelligence Service (DIS) was alerted.
The public network NRK showed on its website a photo sent by a witness showing a black arrow stuck in a wall.
Norway, a generally peaceful country, has been the scene of far-right attacks in the past.
On July 22, 2011, Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people by detonating a bomb near the government headquarters in Oslo, before opening fire at a Labor Youth rally on the island of Utøya.
In August 2019, Philip Manshaus fired at a mosque on the outskirts of Oslo, before being subdued by the crowd, without seriously injuring himself. Before the attack, he shot down his adopted Asian sister for racism.
The authorities have also thwarted several Islamist attacks.
The local police are scheduled to hold another press conference at 10:00 p.m. (8:00 p.m. GMT).
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