A Norwegian suspected of killing his stepsister and opening fire at a mosque near Oslo is suspected of a terrorist act and murder, police said Monday, allegations he rejects.
The man, identified by media as 21-year old Philip Manshaus, is formally suspected of murder in the death of his 17-year-old stepsister, and of a “terrorist act” at the Al-Noor mosque on Saturday, police said in a statement.
In Norway, being formally named as a suspect is a step prior to indictment.
At a detention hearing expected to be held behind closed doors later Monday, police were to ask the court to place the suspect in isolation for four weeks.
The suspect’s lawyer, Unni Fries, told AFP her client rejects the allegations.
The suspect is accused of entering the mosque in the affluent Oslo suburb of Baerum armed with at least two weapons and opening fire before being overpowered by a 65-year-old man who suffered minor injuries.
Hours after the attack, the body of a young woman was found in a home in Baerum and police on Sunday confirmed it was the suspect’s 17-year-old stepsister.
According to local media, she was of Chinese origin and had been adopted by the companion of the suspect’s father.
Oslo’s acting chief of the police operation Rune Skjold said Sunday the investigation showed that the suspect appeared to hold “far-right” and “anti-immigrant” views.
Source: AFP
