Norway ‘Bow-And-Arrow Attack Act Of Terror’
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – Norwegian police say the bow-and-arrow rampage by a man who killed five people in a small town near Norway’s capital appeared to be an Islamic terrorist act.
The suspect was identified as Espen Andersen Braathen, a 37-year-old Danish convert to Islam living in the Kongsberg municipality where the attacks took place
Braathen was detained Wednesday night about a half-hour on the street about a half-hour after authorities were alerted, officials said.
Four women and a man between the ages of 50 and 70 were killed, and three other people were wounded, police said.
He reportedly used the bow and arrow and possibly other weapons to randomly target people at a supermarket and other locations in Kongsberg, a town of about 26,000 people.
A police attorney said Braathen had acknowledged killing the victims, but his lawyer confirmed only that Braathen was “cooperating with police” and giving a detailed statement
SCENE OF TURMOIL
Witnesses recalled that their quiet neighborhood of wooden houses and birch trees was turned into a scene of terrifying crises and turmoil.
“The screaming was so intense and horrifying there was never any doubt something very serious was going on,” Kurt Einar Voldseth told reporters.
He had returned home from an errand when he heard the commotion. “I can only describe it as a ‘death scream,’ and it burned into my mind.”
Flags flew at half-mast across Kongsberg to remember the five victims. Three others, including an off-duty police officer, were wounded.
“The events at Kongsberg appear at the moment to be an act of terror,” the police said in a statement. The case was expected to highlight concerns about the growing influence of Islam in Scandinavia that critics link to an increasing influx of migrants and social media.
Rights activists claim most people fleeing war, persecution, and poverty from Muslim nations seek to participate in Western societies as descent citizens.
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