It was a cowardly act in the psycho-madness: The archer killer in Kongsberg, Norway, Espen A. * (37) attacked elderly people and women. A retired couple and a frail artist who walked on the rollator are among the attacker’s victims, as it is now known.
Initially, the police believed it had been an Islamist-motivated terrorist attack. But Espen A. probably only faked his conversion to Islam, as it turned out later. The real reason for the act is to be found in the offender’s mental illness, as the investigators believe.
The 37-year-old attacked his victims last Thursday with a bow and arrow and seriously injured them. As is now known, he lunged at the injured with a stabbing weapon and dealt them the fatal blow.
The perpetrator was brought to a closed facility
He allegedly attacked four of the victims in their own homes. For example, he killed the couple Gunnar S. * and Liv B. * (both 75) in their ground floor apartment. Another victim is the 75-year-old artist Gun M. *, who could only walk with the help of a rollator.
“She was a strong woman, liked to wear brightly colored clothes and paint flowers”, describes a friend of the pensioner, as the “Dailymail” reports.
Andrea M. * († 52) from Hamburg was also killed by the archer killer. The fifth victim is also a woman: Hanne E. * († 50) was a ceramic artist. Local residents describe the mother of two as “warm-hearted”. She had many friends in the city and was known for having a big summer party in her garden every year, as reported by “Dailymail”.
Espen A. was placed in a closed medical facility for pre-trial detention. He confessed to the fact. He seems ready to work with the investigators.
Threatened family members with death
The man has been the focus of the authorities for years. In 2017 he published a video in which he described himself as a Muslim and a messenger and announced an action. The investigations have now shown that the man did not take his alleged conversion to Islam seriously.
He is also said to have threatened family members with death and to have been in contact with the health service several times. The police are currently not giving any details about the man’s mental illness. (noo)