Norway bow and arrow attack: a brief history of attacks by the far-right

A man armed with bow and arrows killed five people and injured two on Wednesday evening in the Norwegian town of Kongsberg.

The motive behind the attack remains unclear, however, authorities have arrested a 37-year-old Danish man on suspicion of carrying out the attack.

The attacker is said to have launched the assault inside a Coop Extra supermarket on Kongsberg's west side. One of those injured was an off-duty police officer who was in the shop at the time.

According to the Norwegian police, the suspect walked around the city shooting people with arrows.

The police believe that he acted alone, and there is no active search for more people. However, the police will further investigate whether the attack was an act of terrorism.

Prime Minister Erna Solberg told reporters that the incident are "horrifying".

Following the attacks, the police directorate said it had immediately ordered officers nationwide to carry firearms. Usually, police in Norway are not armed.

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Armed violence is rare in Norway, but the country has suffered far-right attacks in the past.

In July 2011, Anders Breivik, a Norwegian far-right domestic terrorist carried out twin attacks that killed 77 people. He first blasted a building next to the prime minister’s office in Oslo, following this he went on a shooting spree at a summer camp for left-wing youths on the island of Utoya. In July 2012, he was convicted of mass murder, causing a fatal explosion, and terrorism and was sentenced to 21 years in prison.

In August 2019, self-proclaimed neo-Nazi opened fire into a mosque in Baerum, the outskirts of Oslo, before being overpowered by worshippers, however, no serious casualties were reported. In June 2020, Manshaus was found guilty of murder and terrorism and sentenced to 21 years in prison.