Friday October 15, 2021
After a bloody act in Norway
Archer is on remand
After the fatal attack by an archer in Kongsberg, Norway, a court ruled: The alleged perpetrator should be in custody for four weeks. However, he will probably not spend it in prison. In the meantime, new information about the course of events will be announced.
The man who is said to have killed five people in Kongsberg, Norway, has to be in custody for four weeks. That was decided by the court in Buskerud. He has to spend the first two weeks in isolation. In addition, the court imposed a ban on visits, the media and letters. It cannot be assumed that the 37-year-old will spend his pre-trial detention in prison. The prosecutor told the Norwegian newspaper “Verdens Gang” that the man was now being looked after by doctors.
The 37-year-old Dane has admitted that he attacked several people with bows and arrows and other weapons in Kongsberg on Wednesday evening. The security service of the Norwegian police initially classified the act as a terrorist act, but later weakened the suspicion. After the interrogations with the police, doubts arose as to his sanity. People around the man told the Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the Dane had suffered from mental health problems for a long time and was an outsider even as a teenager.
The man’s lawyer said that his client should be examined by forensic psychiatrists. The new Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl were expected in Kongsberg on Friday afternoon. Local residents are badly affected by the incidents. Hundreds of candles and flowers were placed in the city center. Mayor Kari Anne Sand spoke of a tragic deed that the community will carry with it for many years.
New details on the course of events
The police have since announced further details about the course of events. Accordingly, two officers met the perpetrator for the first time in a supermarket. They were fired at with arrows and were unable to shoot at him, a police spokesman said. While the officers were getting protective clothing, the perpetrator managed to escape. After that, the perpetrator continued to walk through the city center and also entered apartments, where he killed people.
Police suspect all five victims were killed after the man first met with police. Prosecutor Ann Irén Svane Mathiassen told TV2 that there was no evidence that the man planned the act. “There is also nothing to suggest that there was a situation in the store that triggered this.” Further interrogations are not planned for the time being.
The federal government has meanwhile expressed dismay at the fatal attack with five dead in Norway. “The Chancellor, and with her the entire federal government, is shocked by the brutal act of violence in the southern Norwegian city of Kongsberg,” said the deputy government spokeswoman Martina Fietz. “Germany and the Norwegian people mourn the five dead who were suddenly torn from their lives. Our heartfelt condolences go especially to the bereaved of the victims. We wish the injured a speedy and complete recovery.”