Shooter in deadly Oslo Pride gay bar attack appeals conviction

FILE PHOTO: Zaniar Matapour, charged with aggravated terrorism after he opened fire outside two bars, including the London pub in 2022, sits in courtroom 250 in Oslo Courthouse, Oslo, Norway, March 12, 2024. NTB/Lise Aserud via REUTERS/File Photo

Source: NTB

An Iranian-born Norwegian man convicted of murder and terrorism over a deadly shooting rampage at an Oslo gay bar in 2022 has appealed his case, a lawyer for the victims said on Thursday.

An Oslo court this month convicted Zaniar Matapour, 45, described by police as a radicalised Islamist with a history of mental illness, of murder and terrorism over the shooting during Oslo's annual Pride celebrations.

"My clients are disappointed because they would hope to get closure of the legal aspect of the case," Hege Salomonsen, a lawyer for the victims, told Reuters on Thursday.

Two people died, nine suffered gunshot wounds and 25 others were injured in the attack at the London Pub, a longstanding hub of Oslo's LGBTQ+ scene, as well as a nearby bar in the centre of the Norwegian capital.

Matapour's lawyer, Marius Dietrichson, was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters on Thursday.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters