Norway gay bar gun attack video shown as trial starts

A 44-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to terror charges at the start of a trial for the murder of two people in a gun attack on two bars in Oslo.

A three-minute police video was shown as the trial began, showing CCTV footage of how the 2022 attack unfolded outside the bars during Pride celebrations in the Norwegian capital.

Passers-by are then seen wrestling suspect Zaniar Matapour to the ground.

Prosecutors say the court will have to decide whether he was sane at the time.

Police video from three closed-circuit cameras followed the movements of the gunman, dressed in a yellow T-shirt and a cap, as he walked past first the Per pa Hjornet bar then the London Pub - which are both popular with Oslo's gay community. He then began opening fire on people sitting outside at tables.

Two men aged 54 and 60 were fatally wounded in the rampage and another nine people suffered bullet wounds. A number of others were also hurt. In all 19 bullets were fired.

Police believe Oslo's LGBT community was targeted for extreme religious motives. The shooting took place as the Pride festival neared an end in the early hours of 25 June 2022.

As the video was shown, some of those inside the court were visibly shocked, according to Norwegian correspondents in the room.

When Judge Eirik Aass asked if he was guilty of the charges, Zaniar Matapour shook his head and went on to ask why the trial was taking place during the month of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Muslim calendar. He complained that the court did not sit during the Christian holiday of Easter.

"I've not perceived a conflict between the conduct of this trial and Ramadan," the judge replied.

State prosecutor Sturla Henriksbo told the trial at Oslo District Court that the suspect had recorded an oath of allegiance to so-called Islamic State (IS) shortly before the attack.

He detailed how in the hours before the shooting the suspect had visited a mosque then taken a taxi to central Oslo from the suburb of Bjorndal, before taking a tram to the scene of the attack carrying a sports bag.

The prosecutor said the 44-year-old had been in trouble with police while still a teenager and had received psychiatric treatment at the time. Then he was reported to Norway's PST police security service in 2016 because of concerns that he was becoming radicalised, he added.

Since his arrest Zaniar Matapour has refused to answer police questions and is not expected to speak in his defence during the trial.

Months before the trial began he was assessed as legally responsible for his actions, although one of three experts concluded that he was not.

If found guilty, he could face 30 years in jail. However, he could also be sent to a secure psychiatric facility.

Norway's PST was criticised in the aftermath of the shooting in a report that said the attack could have been prevented. The PST chief apologised for failing to respond to a warning from the intelligence service of a possible threat.

Eleven days before the attack a known Norwegian Islamist called Arfan Bhatti posted a picture on social media of a burning Pride flag.

The suspect had been seen in the same car as Mr Bhatti earlier in 2022 and the official report said that if the PST had acted then the shooting may have been averted.

Mr Bhatti is currently in Pakistan and fighting extradition to Norway. He has denied having anything to do with the attack.