An alleged Portuguese gunman pleads guilty as the trial for the murder of Aqeel Shahzad starts in the Oslo District Court.
The gunman and three other men charged with the murder of 31-year-old Shahzad back on August 13, 2012, went to court on Wednesday. The 38-year-old Portuguese pleaded guilty to the murder of Shahzad, but claimed innocence for charges on the attempted murder of Shahzad’s companion, reports VG.
According to reports, the gunman was hired by one of the accused to kill Shahzad after a conflict broke out in Oslo’s criminal underworld. The victim was shot three times outside a petrol station at Ensjø, one on the thigh and two in the chest. Cause of death was the gunshot wounds to the chest.
As the case began, two of the other three accused pleaded not guilty to the crime. The trial has been set for nine weeks.
According to VG, the gunman claimed that at the time of the murder, he was undergoing a difficult time, engaging in substance abuse and steroids. During the initial sentencing in the district court last autumn, the man expressed regret over the incident and also apologized to the family of the victim.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
