Police: Man accused of Kongsberg attack is a convert to Islam – there have been radicalization concerns
The police announced that the man charged in the Kongsberg attack is a convert to Islam and that there have been radicalization concerns related to the man.
“We have not received reports of concern related to the man in 2021. But there have been reports before, and these have been followed up,” Chief of Police Ole Bredrup Sæverud in the South-Eastern Police District said, according to the newspaper VG.
The latest report was allegedly received in 2020. When asked whether the attack was religiously motivated, Sæverud said:
“We know nothing about the motive yet. But it is natural to ask that question”.
“There are complicated assessments related to the motive, and it will take time before this is clarified. But there have been concerns related to radicalization in the past, and the police have been in contact with the man before,” Sæverud noted.
Furthermore, the man was banned from visiting two close family members last year after he allegedly threatened to kill one of them, according to VG.
The man, who used a bow and arrow to kill five and injure two people in Kongsberg, was arrested yesterday after a major police operation.
Danish citizen
On the night before Thursday, the police announced that the arrested man was a 37-year-old Danish citizen who lives in Kongsberg.
“The police can confirm this information about the accused because many rumors are circulating on social media about possible perpetrators,” the police wrote in a press release.
The man was transported to the police station in Drammen. He has had lawyer Fredrik Neumann appointed as defense counsel.
Police stated that there was a confrontation between them and the perpetrator before he was arrested. No police officers were injured in the confrontation. Warning shots were fired in connection with the arrest.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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