Man kills five with bow and arrows in Norway before ‘confrontation’ with police
Five people have been killed and two others – including an off-duty police officer – were injured in a series of bow and arrow attacks in Norway, according to police.
The incidents took place in the town of Kongsberg, 51 miles (82km) southwest of the capital, Oslo.
A suspect has been apprehended by police, who believe he allegedly acted alone.
There was a confrontation with officers and the man tried to run away before he was arrested, the police chief said.
Two other people were wounded and are in intensive care, including an officer who was off duty and inside the shop where the attack took place, police said.
The attacks are related to a Coop Extra supermarket in the town centre and Coop spokesman Harald Kristiansen said: “We can confirm that there has been a serious incident in our store and that none of our employees are physically injured.
“We are now concerned with following up our employees, and beyond that, we refer to the police investigation.”
Police were called to the incident, in the centre of Kongsberg, at 6.30pm on Wednesday with additional resources sent from other areas, including Oslo.
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Police helicopters at scene of bow and arrow attacks
Police believe the man acted alone
Police chief Oeyvind Aas told a news conference: “I can, unfortunately, confirm that several people have been killed and injured.
“A man was apprehended at 6.47pm. From the information we have at the moment, one person committed this act alone. He hasn’t been questioned yet so it’s too early to say what the motive was.
”There is major police activity in the area because there are many crime scenes.”
Five people were killed and two others injured in the attacks. Pic: AP
Police chief Oeyvind Aas said there was ‘major police activity’ in the area
He declined to comment on the number of casualties and said he could not comment on whether the man was known to the police.
The suspect has now been taken to Drammen police station.
Chief Aas added: “It is natural to consider whether it is an act of terrorism. He has not been questioned, and it is too early to come to any conclusion.”
Asked if he could confirm that a police officer had been shot in the back, he replied: “I can’t answer that question”.
Police have cordoned off areas of the town. Pic: AP
The attacks took place over a “large area” of Kongsberg, a municipality of around 28,000 people in southeastern Norway, police said.
“There is still a lot of police activity in the area. This is because the perpetrator has moved across a large area, and we are now working, among other things, to secure clues and gather as much information as possible about what has happened,” said Chief Aas.
The injured people have been taken to hospital and Kongsberg council’s crisis team is giving help to those who need it.
A suspect has been apprehended by police. Pic: AP
Unni Grondal, Oslo police spokesperson, said: “We are helping with national assistance resources such as police helicopters, bomb squads, and crews from the emergency response troop.”
Norway’s minister of justice and public security, Monica Maeland, has been informed and is closely monitoring the situation.
Local media reported a large area on the west side of the town had been cordoned off, with investigations now under way.
British ambassador to Norway, Richard Wood, wrote on Twitter: “Police confirming that five people have been killed in #Kongsberg and several injured including a policeman. A shocking incident. Sincere condolences to those affected.”
Norwegian police – who normally do not carry guns – have been ordered to temporarily arm themselves.
The Norwegian police directorate said: “This is an additional contingency measure. The police do not yet have any concrete indications that there is a change in the threat level in the country.”
An investigation is now under way
Acting Prime Minister Erna Solberg called the attack “gruesome” and said it was too early to speculate on the man’s motive.
She added: “The perpetrator has carried out horrific acts against several people. The incident has shaken us.”
China has been branded “a bully” and an international lawbreaker after its ships blasted Philippine vessels with water cannon in the South China Sea.
Sky News was on board the BRP Bagacay when a Chinese vessel fired water at it, causing significant damage.
Philippine coastguard spokesman Jay Tarriela told Sky News that this week’s confrontation was the first time China had used “such aggression” against their ships.
“The metal parts and the railing were bent. The canopy was also destroyed. So this came as a surprise for us that China never hesitated to use brute force,” he said.
“It completely justifies us calling The People’s Republic of China a bully country.”
Jay Tarriela, a spokesman for the Philippine Coastguard, told Sky News that China is a ‘bully’
The Philippine coastguard was on a resupply mission to the Scarborough Shoal to deliver food and fuel to Philippine fishermen when they were struck.
The submerged reef lies in disputed waters. China claims sovereignty over the reef but it is much closer to the Philippines and lies within its legally recognised exclusive economic zone.
The vessel Sky News was on board was the closest the coastguard had ever been to the shoal – just 600 metres away from it.
Asked if the mission to the shoal was a provocative move by the Philippine coastguard, Commodore Tarriela denied they were “poking the bear” but rather “driving the bear out of our own territory”.
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Sky witnesses China-Philippine confrontation
The Philippines has been stepping up its patrols in the area under the instruction of President Bongbong Marcos, and reasserting its claim to the shoal in recent months.
It has raised the spectre of open conflict. While neither side currently wants that, there is now a greater threat of open conflict.
Asked what the end game was for the Philippines, Commodore Tarriela said their priority was to “tell the world” about China’s aggression.
China’s coastguard fired water at Philippine coastguard vessel BRP Bagacay while Sky was onboard
He said their secondary goal was to ensure “like-minded states” also made China “fall in line and respect international law”.
“Otherwise, it’s everybody’s loss,” he added.
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Philippine government policy is not to resist using water cannon against Chinese vessels – and Commodore Tarriela insisted that policy remains in place after the confrontation.
The government also remains intensely determined to protect the waters it believes it has every right to operate in.
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“We’re not going to yield and we’re not going to surrender a square inch of our territory,” Commodore Tarriela insisted.
Beijing has called the action its own coastguard took as “necessary”.
Speaking at the Chinese foreign ministry’s daily news conference, spokesperson Lin Jian described the coastguard’s conduct as “professional, proper, and lawful”.
World
Three charged over killing of Sikh separatist leader in Canada – in incident which sparked diplomatic spat with India
Three suspects have been charged by Canadian police over the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Vancouver last June, in an incident that sparked a diplomatic spat between Ottawa and New Delhi.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, was shot dead outside a temple by masked gunmen in Surrey, outside Vancouver, on 18 June 2023.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police assistant commissioner David Teboul said police could not comment on the nature of the evidence or the motive.
“This matter is very much under active investigation,” Teboul said.
The three suspects – Indian nationals Kamalpreet Singh, Karan Brar and Karampreet Singh – were arrested in Edmonton, Alberta, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.
Superintendent Mandeep Mooker said: “This investigation does not end here. We are aware that others may have played a role in this homicide and we remain dedicated to finding and arresting each one of these individuals.”
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Canada killing ‘linked’ to India govt
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sparked a diplomatic feud with India when he said in September that there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the killing. India angrily denied involvement.
Mr Nijjar, an Indian-born citizen of Canada, was a leader in what remains of the Khalistan movement – a once-strong group calling for the creation of an independent Sikh homeland.
He was organising an unofficial referendum in India for an independent Sikh nation at the time of this death and had denied allegations of ties to terrorism.
The Khalistan movement has lost much of its power but is still supported by some in the Punjab state in northwestern India and in the Sikh diaspora overseas.
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A violent, decade-long Sikh insurgency shook north India in the 1970s and 1980s, and was ultimately crushed in a government crackdown which saw thousands of people killed, including prominent Sikh leaders.
In June 1984, Indian forces stormed the Golden Temple, the holiest Sikh shrine in Amritsar, where separatists had taken refuge.
In more recent years, the Indian government has repeatedly warned that Sikh separatists were trying to make a comeback.
Read more: What is the Khalistan movement?
Mr Trudeau’s accusation angered India PM Narendra Modi. File pic: AP
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The diplomatic row saw diplomats expelled by both India and Canada.
The Indian government said it “completely rejected” Mr Trudeau’s allegations and added: “We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law.”
The dispute derailed trade talks between the two countries and ultimately saw Canada withdraw 41 of its 62 diplomats in India.
At the time, Canada did not provide public evidence to back up Mr Trudeau’s allegations. However, it did reveal the claims were based on intelligence provided by a major ally and surveillance of Indian diplomats in the country.
Heavy rains in southern Brazil have killed 37 people, local authorities have said, with dozens still unaccounted for.
More than 70 people are missing and at least 23,000 people have been displaced in Rio Grande do Sul, according to the state’s civil defence agency.
In some cities, water levels have been at their highest since records began almost 150 years ago, the Brazilian Geological Service said.
It said the flooding is the worst to hit the state in more than 80 years, surpassing that of a historic deluge in 1941.
Roads have been turned into rivers in several towns, with bridges destroyed and the storm triggering landslides and the partial collapse of a dam structure at a hydroelectric power plant.
A drone view of Lajeado in Rio Grande do Sul. Pic: Jeff Botega/Agencia RBS via Reuters
Residents near to a second dam in the city of Bento Goncalves have been ordered to evacuate, as fears of another collapse grow.
“It’s not just another critical situation, it’s probably the most critical case the state has ever recorded,” Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite said on social media.
He added the number of deaths will likely rise as authorities have not been able to reach some locations.
A birds-eye view of the flooding in Sao Sebastiao do Cai, in Rio Grande do Sul. Pic: AP
The devastation in Lajaedo. Pic: Jeff Botega/Agencia RBS via Reuters
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has travelled to the state to visit affected locations and discuss rescue efforts with the governor.
The state is at a geographical meeting point between tropical and polar atmospheres, which has created periods of intense rains and others of drought.
Scientists believe the pattern has been intensifying due to climate change.
Roads have been turned into rivers in several towns. Pic: AP
Heavy rains hit the state last September, as an extratropical cyclone caused floods that killed more than 50 people.
That came after more than two years of a persistent drought due to the La Nina phenomenon.
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