OSLO, Norway, Aug 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Thousands of Muslims turned out to observe the Eid al-Adha holiday in Norway on Sunday, in the wake of a shooting a day before, at a mosque in Baerum, west of Oslo, with politicians and the public condemning the attack.
A 21-year-old Norwegian gunman entered the Al-Noor Islamic Centre on Saturday afternoon and started shooting, wounding one person in the mosque before being controlled and arrested. The young man was said to have been injured as well.
On Saturday night, the perpetrator’s 17-year-old stepsister was found dead in his home in Baerum, said the police.
The suspect was charged with murder of his younger stepsister and attempted murder in the mosque, Norwegian media reported on Sunday.
A person with the same name of the perpetrator had published extremist posts on internet before the launch of the assault. Police were investigating the shooting as an attempted terrorist attack.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the celebration of Eid al-Adha, also called the “festival of the sacrifice,” which was originally planned in Al-Noor Islamic Centre, was moved to Thon Hotel in Sandvika, west of Oslo.
The prime minister of Norway said, all religious communities should feel safe in this Nordic country.
“Today (yesterday), Muslims all over Norway celebrate Eid al-Adha with their loved ones,” Solberg wrote on Twitter. “But the attack on the mosque in Baerum creates fear and unrest. We must fight hatred and anti-Muslim attitudes,” she underlined.
Audun Lysbakken, leader of Norwegian Socialist party, tweeted: “Today is a holiday and celebration for the Muslims. This year, it is also characterised by fear and anxiety. That is why our solidarity, support and thoughts today are with all Norwegian Muslims. We must show that the community in this country is much stronger than the hatred of a few.”
The politicians’ compassion was echoed by the public. Norwegians Jo Egil Tobiassen and Helge Rena created a Facebook event, encouraging people to gather outside the ICC mosque in Oslo, during the morning prayer.
Many locals, including Minister of Culture, Trine Skei Grande and Oslo Mayor, Marianne Borgen, joined the ring around the mosque, to show their solidarity with the Muslims.
It is important for people to help keep the Eid al-Adha celebration going as normal, Grande told NRK.
“We must show solidarity, but also condemnation of such attacks on mosques. We will stand together now in Oslo outside the mosques, and we should say that it is permissible to celebrate Eid without being afraid,” the mayor was quoted as saying.
“This is an attack on all the basic Norwegian values,” said Zeeshan Shah, a citizen, who joined the gathering.
The defendant’s online activity has been a topic for investigation, as several posts were seen published prior to the mosque shooting, on an extremist forum by the person with the same name, police confirmed.
“On these forums, there is a cultivation of violence, racism and extremism to insane level,” Tore Bjorgo, professor and head of the Centre for Research of Extremism at the University of Oslo, said.– NNN-AGENCIES
