Security forces at the site of a shooting outside the London Pub in central Oslo, Norway, on June 25.
(CNN)Oslo’s annual Pride parade was canceled on Saturday following a deadly shooting at a gay bar that Norwegian police are investigating as a possible terrorist attack.
Two people were killed and eight others taken to hospital after the shooting near the London Pub, which describes itself on its website as “the largest gay and lesbian venue in Oslo.”
Police received multiple calls about the shooting at 1:14 a.m. local time, and arrived at the scene minutes later. They apprehended the male suspect three minutes after arrival, police said.
The suspect, charged with terrorism, is a Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, and was “known to the police,” but has only received “minor convictions” up until now, prosecutor Christian Hatlo told reporters in Oslo Saturday.
Norway’s domestic intelligence service said it was working to clarify whether more acts of violence may be planned after the shooting. The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) announced in a tweet Saturday that it was “informed about the shooting in Oslo on Saturday.”
“We are now contributing all the relevant information we have to the Oslo police district and are working to clarify whether more acts of violence may be planned. We do not currently have any indications of that,” the PST said.
Why now? How four senators finally got a gun deal no one thought was possible
Why now? How four senators finally got a gun deal no one thought was possible
Hatlo said police had charged the suspect with “murder, attempted murder and terrorist acts.”
He said the terrorism charge was justified on the basis of the number of injured and dead people, the number of crime scenes and an “overall assessment” indicating that the accused intended to “create serious fear in the population.”
At the time of the press conference, police had attempted to question the suspect but had not yet been successful in doing so, Hatlo said. The suspect was taken to the police station, and police told CNN there were currently no other suspects.
As for the charges, Hatlo said the authorities will see “what the investigation shows.”
The suspect was armed with two weapons during the shooting, police said. They did not confirm what weapons he used due to the pending investigation.
Flowers are left at the scene of the shooting in central Oslo.
Flowers are left at the scene of the shooting in central Oslo.
There were wounded people on the ground inside and outside the bar when the police arrived. “The scene was chaotic, it was a warm evening and a lot of people were outside, so there were people running everywhere,” police told CNN.
Among the eight in hospital, three people are in critical condition. Another 14 victims sustained minor injuries.
In a statement published on Facebook after the shooting, the London Pub condemned the incident as “absolutely awful and pure evil.” The bar said all its employees were safe, and expressed condolences for the victims and their families.
Oslo’s annual Pride parade, scheduled to take place on Saturday, was canceled in the wake of the shootings after “clear advice and recommendation from the police.”
Writing on Facebook, organizers asked everyone not to attend and said all events in connection with Pride were also canceled.
“We will follow the police’s recommendations and take care of each other. Warm thoughts and love go to relatives, the injured and others affected,” said leader of Oslo Pride, Inger Kristin Haugsevje, and leader of the Association for Gender and Sexuality Diversity, Inge Alexander Gjestvang, in a joint statement.
How Orlando’s LGBTQ Latino community is healing and mobilizing five years after the Pulse massacre
How Orlando’s LGBTQ Latino community is healing and mobilizing five years after the Pulse massacre
“We will soon be proud and visible again, but today we will hold and share the pride celebrations from home.”
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre also expressed his condolences to the victims, calling the shooting “a cruel and deeply shocking attack on innocent people.”
“My thoughts go to the victims and their relatives,” Støre said on Facebook. “We do not yet know what was behind this terrible act, but to the queer community who are now scared and in mourning, I want to say that we are all with you.”
The President of the Norwegian Parliament, Masud Gharahkhani, also expressed his condolences.
“That something so brutal and terrible can happen. People were in town for a holiday of diversity and love,” Gharahkhani said. “I also see time and time again what kind of hateful remarks abound in social media when we mark queer diversity. It’s sad and unacceptable.”
