“Unfortunately, I can confirm that there are five people dead and two injured.”, said Øyvind Aas, local police officer at a press conference.
The two injured were hospitalized in intensive care units, but according to Aas, nothing indicates that their lives are in danger. One of them was an off-duty police officer who was in one of the multiple attacked locations.
A suspect was arrested. “According to the information we have now, there is only one person involved in these acts”Aas added.
The motivations for the attack are unknown.
According to the Norwegian channel TV2, usually well informed, the alleged perpetrator of the attack would be a Norwegian convert to Islam with medical history, something that the authorities did not want to confirm.
“Seeing how the events unfolded, it is natural to assess whether it is a terrorist attack,” Aas said. later in another press conference.
“The detained man has not been questioned and it is too early to comment on the motives for the attack,” he added, stating that the investigators “leave all leads open.”
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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