One person shot in a mosque in Bærum

Latest: Nobody was shot, but the perpetrator sustained injuries

“One of our members was shot by a white man wearing a helmet and uniform,” Imam Irfan Mushtaq, tells the newspaper Budstikka. The perpetrator was overmanned. He sustained injuries in the process and is not yet interrogated.

Police are in control at the al-Noor Islamic Centre mosque in Bærum after a shooting episode was reported just after 4.30 pm.

“Nothing indicates that there have been other persons involved. A person who was at the scene is slightly injured, and it is unknown how the injuries were sustained,” the police tweets.

Police say that persons present at the mosque took control over the perpetrator. Several weapons were also found there. The police can, however, not confirm the information regarding helmet and uniform, according to NRK .

Young, white male

“The perpetrator is described as a young, white male, but police have no information on who he is,” the Police tweets.

“One of our members has been shot by a white man wearing a helmet and uniform,” Imam Irfan Mushtaq tells Budstikka.

“We are still working intensely on the spot and it is, therefore, too early to say more,” Officer on Duty at the Crime Guard in Oslo, Øyvind Myhre, informs VG.

New Zealand

There are many ambulances and a lot of police on site. A witness VG has talked to says that the road is blocked due to all the ambulances. It is, therefore, chaos on the spot.

Budstikka was in contact with the mosque in March in connection with the terrorist attack against two mosques in New Zealand. Something which prompted the al-Noor Islamic Centre at Skui to work on improved security.

Nødetatene er nå ferdig på stedet og bilen er fjernet. Trafikken vil etterhvert gå som normalt. Reparasjonsarbeid skal utføres senere og dette vil medføre stenging av et felt.
— OPS Politiet Oslo (@oslopolitiops) August 10, 2019

Parts of this article was first reported by VG.

Video showing armed police storming the Mosque.

Known facts thus far

Police received the first report of the shooting at 4.07 pm.
The notification was called in by a person who, according to the police, spoke very poor Norwegian. The police did, initially, not consider the threat level as very high.
As the police gradually got more information, they moved out with all available personnel.
A person is supposedly lightly injured. The police don’t have information indicating that this is a gunshot wound.
The person who fired the shots is a local, ethnic Norwegian, according to the police.
The perpetrator was overpowered by a 75-years-old man inside the mosque before the police arrived.
Police arrested the perpetrator upon arrival at the al-Noor mosque.
The police do not yet know what is the motive behind the attack.
Police are in the process of securing an overview of the perpetrator’s online activity
Several firearms were found inside the mosque. For the time being, the police will not say what kind of weapons they are, but eyewitnesses report of revolvers and pistols.
The Police Security Service (PST) is briefed about the incident, but will not draw any conclusions yet.
Police are working to see what measures need to be taken to increase security around the upcoming celebration of Eid.

(Source: Press conference by the police at 7 pm.)

About the al-Noor Islamic Centre

The al-Noor Islamic Center is a Muslim religious community in Bærum founded in 1983. Until July 6, 2005, we were a sister organisation of “Central Jamaat-e Ahle-Sunnat Norway”. The organisation was originally founded under the name “Jamaat-e Ahle-Sunnat Asker and Bærum”. Ever since its founding, it has been called the “Bærum Mosque” by the public.

Its main purpose is to represent the Muslim community in Bærum and to share Islamic teachings through the teaching of the Qur’an and Sunnah for both believers and non-believers. There is group teaching for children over the age of 6 several days a week, in addition to weekly teaching for men and women in the mosque, led by Imam Syed Muhammad Ashraf.

A number of events are held to mark religious holidays and promote community engagement. Bridge-building between members and the local community under the auspices of the Al-Noor Islamic Center is also noteworthy.

The Mosque

The mosque in Ringeriksveien consists of 2 large prayer rooms on the 1^st floor. In addition to rental apartments on the 2^nd and 3^rd floor. Toilet facilities and ramp are designed for visitors with wheelchairs.

Facebook: Bærum-moskeen (ANIC)

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