Police investigators have said it is too early to say whether the attacker specifically targeted the LGBTQ community. The gunman opened fire at three locations, including outside the London Pub, a popular gay bar in downtown Oslo. Matapour arrived in Norway with his family from a Kurdish part of Iran in the 1990s, according to Norwegian media. In Norway, pre-trial detention hearings are normally held every four weeks. His lawyer, John Christian Elden, said that his client objects to having his statement recorded and videotaped unless police release the entire recording to the public “with no time delay so it won’t be censored or manipulated.” Recording interrogations is a standard police practice. Join us for nightly entertainment at The Manor and be sure to catch one of our standing weekend Drag Brunch shows, voted Baltimores Best Drag Brunch two years in a row View Upcoming Events. The motive is unknown and Matapour has refused to explain his actions to investigators.
Two people were killed and more than 20 were wounded in what the Norwegian security service called an “Islamist terror act.” Over the last 50 years, gay bars have taken form to help shelter gay. Zaniar Matapour, a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, was arrested shortly after the predawn shooting in Oslo’s nightlife district and was held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and terrorism. Gay nightlife, like the gay community, has always existed in one form or another.
The suspect in Saturday’s mass shooting during an LGBTQ festival in Oslo has agreed to be held in pretrial custody for four weeks and will therefore not appear in court on Monday, a Norwegian court said.