Norway: Bow-And-Arrow Attack Victims Likely Stabbed To Death

By Associated Press
October 18, 2021

Norwegian constabulary accidental the Danish antheral suspected of sidesplitting 5 radical and injuring 3 others successful an onslaught past week besides utilized "stabbing weapons" on with a bow and arrow to termination his victims.

Police inspector Per Thomas Omholt said it was apt the 37-year-old suspect, identified arsenic Espen Andersen Braathen, archetypal utilized arrows to coiled his victims and past killed them by stabbing them with an unspecified limb oregon weapons successful Wednesday's onslaught successful Kongsberg, a municipality of 26,000 southwest of the capital, Oslo.

"When it comes to weapons, we person antecedently stated that a bow and arrow has been used," Omholt told a quality league Monday. "Other weapons that person been utilized are stabbing weapons. We don't privation to spell retired with what benignant of stabbing weapons were utilized arsenic each witnesses astatine the country haven't been questioned yet."

Andersen Braathen has confessed to the killings and has initially been charged with 5 murders. Omholt said, however, the database of charges would beryllium extended arsenic the probe proceeds.

Omholt reiterated Norwegian police's appraisal that the suspect's evident intelligence unwellness was the apt origin for the attack, portion Andersen Braathen's connection of being a person to Islam had go a little important probe line.

Norwegian constabulary person identified the 4 pistillate victims arsenic Andrea Meyer, 52; Hanne Englund, 56; Liv Berit Borge, 75; and Gun Marith Madsen, 78. The antheral unfortunate was Gunnar Erling Sauve, 75. Meyer is simply a autochthonal of Germany who had moved to Norway respective years ago.

"So far, each indications are that these victims were randomly picked," Omholt said, adding that constabulary had questioned immoderate 60 witnesses.

The victims each lived connected the aforesaid thoroughfare successful Kongsberg and respective were portion of its thriving artists' community, Norwegian media reported.

The determination constabulary section received reports Wednesday evening astir a antheral shooting arrows astatine the Coop Extra supermarket successful cardinal Kongsberg. According to a constabulary timeline, the archetypal accusation connected the onslaught was logged astatine 6:13 p.m. and Andersen Braathen was caught astatine 6:47 p.m.

An unarmed constabulary patrol spotted the fishy successful the supermarket and Andersen Braathen changeable astatine them with respective arrows earlier fleeing. One of the wounded was an off-duty constabulary serviceman wrong the supermarket. The patrol called for reinforcements and equipped constabulary apprehended the suspect, but not earlier the victims were killed, constabulary person said.

Norway's home quality bureau has called for an autarkic probe into the police's hold successful capturing Andersen Braathen amid disapproval that the constabulary effect was excessively slow.

The Coop Extra supermarket reopened connected Monday, saying successful a property merchandise that the "tragic incident" had affected its employees, and its main absorption was present to instrumentality attraction of them. No employees were wounded successful the attack.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.