Norwegian police could have prevented a deadly shooting at a gay venue during last year’s Pride celebrations according to a damming report into the incident.
Two people died and 25 others were injured when a gunman opened fire on the busy LGBTIQA+ venue and a nearby jazz bar. The shooting at the London Pub occurred just hours before the city’s annual Pride celebrations.
On Thursday a report said police could have prevented the incident if they had acted on a tip off from the country’s foreign intelligence agency.
The police commissioned report was compiled by seven experts from fields including policing, communications, psychiatry, and security. They found that police had failed to act on a warning sent five days before the shooting.
Additionally, they found that in the months leading up to the act the police could have taken preventative steps against the shooter, who was known to authorities. There was also a failure to share intelligence with officers in charge of tracking radicalised individuals.
“This is a devastating report,” Oslo’s mayor, Raymond Johansen, told public broadcaster NRK. “It’s completely unacceptable.”
Police apprehended the alleged gunman minutes after the attack. Zaniar Matapour is a 43-year-old Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin who police say is a radicalised Islamist with a history of mental health illness. He has yet to face court over the multiple charges of murder and terrorism offences that he has been arrested over.
OIP Staff
You can support our work by subscribing to our Patreon
or contributing to our GoFundMe campaign.
