Knife attack in Norway probed as ‘terror related’, suspect arrested – police

A Russian national has been arrested by Norway police, who suspect him to be the perpetrator of a knife attack which happened in Oslo on Thursday. The crime is being investigated as “terror-related” by the authorities.

According to Norwegian media, the Tuesday attack happened in a store and left a woman in critical condition, after a man in his 20s stabbed her.

The suspected perpetrator was arrested later and reportedly had a knife, which the police believe to have been used in the attack.

Benedicte Bjoernland, the head of Norway’s PST police security service, told journalists that the suspect confessed to the crime and stated during questioning that his intention was to kill several random people. His accounts confirm that it was an act of terrorism, she said.

The PST chief said the suspect arrived to Norway from Bashkortostan, a predominantly Muslim region in southern Russia. The 20-year-old appears to have acted alone, but the police are now investigating his possible ties with jihadist groups.

Earlier reports said that after stabbing his victim in the back as she was preparing to pay for her groceries, the attacker wanted to attack the cashier, but changed his mind and ran away. The suspect was reportedly arrested not far from the scene of the assault.

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