Foreign Affairs

21-Year-Old Suspect In Botched Terror Attack On Mosque Stands Trial With Two Black Eyes

No featured image available

A 21-year-old man accused of opening fire in a Norwegian mosque in an alleged terror attack Saturday appeared in court for trial Monday in Oslo.

The suspect was charged with attempted murder and the murder of his 17-year-old stepsister, according to BBC. He is accused of firing a weapon at the Al-Noor Islamic Centre in Baerum, west of the capital Oslo, where only three people were inside at the time.

He reportedly smiled at photographers while in court just before the judge opened his case, BBC added.

The suspect’s name was disclosed as Philip Manshaus by Norway’s state broadcaster, but an Oslo Police district attorney would not confirm it, according to CNN. Prosecutors are seeking to extend his sentence by four weeks, barring him from prison visits as well as media coverage.

Suspect in Norway mosque attack jailed for 4 weeks https://t.co/UzhX6BFbL5 pic.twitter.com/T0djcYuDFG

— 1010 WINS (@1010WINS) August 12, 2019

The suspect was reportedly subdued by those inside the mosque before any casualties were sustained.

Retired Pakistani air force officer, Mohammad Rafiq, 65, reportedly disarmed and subdued the attacker on the scene. The suspect was wearing body armor, a helmet, and carrying multiple weapons during the attack, according to the mosque’s director, according to BBC.

After the attack, Manshaus’s 17-year-old stepsister was found dead at a home in Baerum.

The suspect pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and is refusing to speak to investigators, according to his defense lawyer Unni Fries.

The suspect is apparently aligned with a far-right ideology, police said.