OSLO: A Norwegian man
suspected of killing his stepsister and opening fire in a mosque near Oslo this
weekend was remanded in custody Monday, suspected of murder, and a “terrorist
act” that police say he filmed himself. The man, identified as 21-year old
Philip Manshaus, appeared in the Oslo court with two black eyes and scrapes and
bruises on his face, neck and hands, probably obtained when he was overpowered
at the mosque.
Police say he has
“extreme right views” and “xenophobic positions” and that he had filmed the
mosque attack with a GoPro camera mounted on a helmet. The Norway incident
comes amid a rise in white supremacy attacks around the world. Manshaus is
formally suspected of murdering his 17-year-old stepsister, and of a “terrorist
act” at the Al-Noor mosque on Saturday, allegations he has rejected.
In Norway, being
formally named as a suspect is a step prior to indictment. Manshaus entered the
courtroom smiling to cameras, wearing dark clothes and his hair cut short. He
asked to be released, his lawyer Unni Fries said after the hearing. “He rejects
the allegations and exercises his right to not explain himself,“ she said. The
court cited “reasonable grounds” to suspect Manshaus had committed the criminal
acts and remanded him in custody for four weeks, as police had requested.
Police official
Pal-Fredrik Hjort Kraby told a press conference that Manshaus had worn a helmet
equipped with a camera during the attack “which was filming and has provided us
with important evidence.” The court said he will be kept in “complete
isolation” for the first two weeks.
‘Pretty vague’ past tip
Manshaus is accused of
entering the mosque in the affluent Oslo suburb of Baerum armed with at least
two weapons and opening fire before he was overpowered by a 65-year-old man who
suffered minor injuries. Just three worshippers were in the mosque at the time.
Hours after the attack,
the body of a young woman was found in a home in Baerum and police on Monday
identified her as Johanne Zhangjia Ihle-Hansen, Manshaus’ 17-year-old
stepsister.
Local media said she was
of Chinese origin and had been adopted by the companion of Manshaus’ father.
On Monday, Norway’s
domestic intelligence service PST said it had received a tip “about a year ago”
about Manshaus, but that they chose not to act on it.
“The tip was pretty
vague and was not indicative of any imminent terrorism plot,“ PST chief Hans
Sverre Sjovold told reporters.
PST, which said it
receives a large number of similar tips, has not raised the threat alert level
in Norway from the current low level.
Credit photo: © Terje PedersonThe suspect entered the mosque in the
affluent Oslo suburb of Baerum armed with at least two weapons and opened fire.
https://bit.ly/2Z0RAPw
https://bit.ly/2Z0RAPw
‘Race war’ post
Shortly before the
mosque attack, a person identifying himself as Philip Manshaus had posted a
message on the EndChan forum calling for a “race war” to be taken from the
internet into real life (”irl”).
The author said he was
selected by “saint tarrant”, an apparent reference to New Zealand mosque attack
suspect Brenton Tarrant, accused of killing 51 people in attacks on two mosques
in March.
EndChan confirmed on
Twitter that a man “claiming to be the Oslo shooter” had posted material on the
forum.
The post ended with the
words “Valhalla awaits,“ a mythological Norse reference to the afterlife for
those who have died in battle.
The shooting follows a
rise in white supremacist attacks, including the recent El Paso massacre in the
United States.
The Oslo attack took
place on the eve of Eid Al-Adha, an Islamic celebration that marks the end of
the Hajj pilgrimage, and it stoked fears among Norway’s Muslims.
In Norwegian media,
neighbours and acquaintances described the suspect as a previously happy and
well-adjusted person whose behaviour changed during the past year.
According to public
broadcaster NRK, he reportedly became “very religious” and adopted increasingly
extreme rightwing views.
Norway witnessed one of
the worst-ever attacks by a rightwing extremist in July 2011, when Anders
Behring Breivik, who said he feared a “Muslim invasion”, killed 77 people in a
truck bomb blast near government offices in Oslo and a shooting spree at a
Labour Party youth camp on the island of Utoya. — AFP
Credit photo: AFP
Terror suspected Philip Manshaus attends a hearing at an Oslo courthouse on 12 August 2019 in Norway.
Terror suspected Philip Manshaus attends a hearing at an Oslo courthouse on 12 August 2019 in Norway.
"TOGETHER
AGAINST EXTREMISM!"
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