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https://www.investigativeproject.org/9213/islamist-terrorism-resurfaces-in-scandinavia
The man who opened fire in an Oslo gay bar on Pride Night last month has deep ties to an extremist leader dubbed “the most dangerous person in Norway.”
Two people were killed and at least 21 others wounded in the June 25 attack. A gunman opened fire at three places: the gay bar London Pub; the bar Per på hjørnet; and a takeout restaurant. Among the wounded, 10 were treated for serious, but not life-threatening injuries.
Norway’s Police Security Service (PST) determined “that this was an attack motivated by extreme Islamism.” A separate Pride Parade and related events were canceled as a result of the attack.
The suspect, Zaniar Matapour, is a 42-year-old Norwegian Muslim of Iranian descent. He allegedly is a radicalized Islamist with a history of mental illness, known to Norwegian intelligence services since 2015. According to an official statement from the Norwegian Police Security Service, Matapour recently was a “member of an extremist Islamist network in Norway, with a long history of violence and threats.”
He was in close contact with Arfan Bhatti, a central figure in Norway’s extremist Islamist milieu.
Bhatti, a 45-year-old Norwegian of Pakistani origin, has been a leading member in the Salafi-jihadist Norwegian group Profetens Ummah (The Prophet’s Ummah), which was originally inspired by Al-Qaeda and later pledged its support for the Islamic State.
He “is a supporter of transforming Norway into an Islamist state ruled by Sharia-laws,” a 2015 report from Israel’s International Institute for Counter-Terrorism said.
Bhatti was convicted in 2008 for conspiring to attack an Oslo synagogue with automatic weapons in 2006. Police say it was Bhatti who opened fire, but no one was injured. He was in police custody from 2006-2009. It did not curb his extremism, however, as he traveled to Pakistan in 2010 to wage jihad.
“We want Norway to become an Islamic nation one day and be governed by Sharia law,” he said in a 2012 interview with the Norwegian daily Dagbladet.
When asked whether he was willing to perform or encourage terrorist acts in support of his cause, Bhatti evaded the question by saying that the definition of terrorism depends on the observer. In 2013 Bhatti again went to Pakistan.
During his time in Pakistan, Bhatti was jailed for his contacts with Taliban jihadists. He returned to Norway in 2015.
On June 14, ahead of the planned Gay Pride celebration in Oslo, Bhatti posted a burning rainbow flag and a quote on social media calling for the killing of gay people. “One should kill everyone who acts as Lot’s people,” he wrote, quoting an Islamic hadith.
The attacker struck 11 days later, on Gay Pride Night. Witnesses say a man walked into the London Pub carrying a bag which had two guns in it. “I saw a man arrive with a bag, he picked up a gun and started to shoot,” said journalist Olav Roenneberg, in the area during the attack. A woman told Norwegian media that the attacker took his time to aim carefully at his targets. According to another witness, the shooter shouted Allahu Akbar as he opened fire….
The man who opened fire in an Oslo gay bar on Pride Night last month has deep ties to an extremist leader dubbed “the most dangerous person in Norway.”
Two people were killed and at least 21 others wounded in the June 25 attack. A gunman opened fire at three places: the gay bar London Pub; the bar Per på hjørnet; and a takeout restaurant. Among the wounded, 10 were treated for serious, but not life-threatening injuries.
Norway’s Police Security Service (PST) determined “that this was an attack motivated by extreme Islamism.” A separate Pride Parade and related events were canceled as a result of the attack.
The suspect, Zaniar Matapour, is a 42-year-old Norwegian Muslim of Iranian descent. He allegedly is a radicalized Islamist with a history of mental illness, known to Norwegian intelligence services since 2015. According to an official statement from the Norwegian Police Security Service, Matapour recently was a “member of an extremist Islamist network in Norway, with a long history of violence and threats.”
He was in close contact with Arfan Bhatti, a central figure in Norway’s extremist Islamist milieu.
Bhatti, a 45-year-old Norwegian of Pakistani origin, has been a leading member in the Salafi-jihadist Norwegian group Profetens Ummah (The Prophet’s Ummah), which was originally inspired by Al-Qaeda and later pledged its support for the Islamic State.
He “is a supporter of transforming Norway into an Islamist state ruled by Sharia-laws,” a 2015 report from Israel’s International Institute for Counter-Terrorism said.
Bhatti was convicted in 2008 for conspiring to attack an Oslo synagogue with automatic weapons in 2006. Police say it was Bhatti who opened fire, but no one was injured. He was in police custody from 2006-2009. It did not curb his extremism, however, as he traveled to Pakistan in 2010 to wage jihad.
“We want Norway to become an Islamic nation one day and be governed by Sharia law,” he said in a 2012 interview with the Norwegian daily Dagbladet.
When asked whether he was willing to perform or encourage terrorist acts in support of his cause, Bhatti evaded the question by saying that the definition of terrorism depends on the observer. In 2013 Bhatti again went to Pakistan.
During his time in Pakistan, Bhatti was jailed for his contacts with Taliban jihadists. He returned to Norway in 2015.
On June 14, ahead of the planned Gay Pride celebration in Oslo, Bhatti posted a burning rainbow flag and a quote on social media calling for the killing of gay people. “One should kill everyone who acts as Lot’s people,” he wrote, quoting an Islamic hadith.
The attacker struck 11 days later, on Gay Pride Night. Witnesses say a man walked into the London Pub carrying a bag which had two guns in it. “I saw a man arrive with a bag, he picked up a gun and started to shoot,” said journalist Olav Roenneberg, in the area during the attack. A woman told Norwegian media that the attacker took his time to aim carefully at his targets. According to another witness, the shooter shouted Allahu Akbar as he opened fire….