Oslo Gay Bar Shooter Sentenced to 30 Years in Jail
A Norwegian court found radical Islamist Zaniar Matapour guilty of murder and aggravated terrorism for shooting up a gay bar in Oslo in 2022.
An Oslo court convicted an Iranian-born Norwegian citizen to 30 years in prison for shooting up a gay bar during Oslo’s annual Pride celebration in 2022.
After a two-month trial that lasted from March to May, Zaniar Matapour, 45, was found guilty of murder and aggravated terrorism for an attack that killed two patrons and injured 34 others, including nine who suffered gunshot wounds, at the London Pub in Oslo.
Matapour’s 30-year sentence is the longest possible under Norwegian law — although it could be extended indefinitely if he is deemed to pose a threat to society. He will serve a minimum of 20 years before being eligible for parole.
“The court finds that the actions in their entirety are so serious that the maximum sentence should be applied,” the court said in its ruling last week.
Matapour was also ordered to pay compensation amounting to around 112 million Norwegian Krone ($10.6 million) to survivors and relatives of the victims he killed or maimed.
“We are pleased to have received a thorough and well-reasoned judgment by the Oslo District Court,” Christian Lundin, a spokesperson representing the victims, told Reuters in an emailed statement.
“On behalf of the plaintiffs, we are very satisfied that the court has awarded compensation in accordance with the claims made on behalf of the 312 individuals (affected).”
As detailed in the charges against him, Matapour — whom police have described as a radicalized Islamist with a history of mental illness — opened fire around 1:13 a.m., shooting 10 rounds with a machine gun and eight shots with a handgun into a crowd of patrons inside and outside the bar, including bystanders who tried to hide or run away.
The shooting occurred less than an hour after Matapour, in an audio recording sent to a friend, swore allegiance to the Islamic State jihadist group. The shooting led to the cancellation of Oslo’s 2022 Pride Parade due to safety concerns.
Matapour’s lawyer, Marius Dietrichson, said he would recommend that his client appeal the ruling.
One possible reason for an appeal is that the trial, which started in March and ended on May 16, was held during the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast for an extended period. Matapour raised this concern as a potential conflict, but the judge dismissed that argument.
According to The Associated Press, Matapour pleaded not guilty. He was examined by a court-appointed psychiatrist, who concluded that he had been sane at the time of the attack.
During Matapour’s trial, both the prosecution and defense agreed that Matapour had committed the crime. But Matapour’s legal team argued that Norway’s external intelligence agency, E-Tjenesten, was responsible for the attack because an alleged member of the agency, posing as a member of the Islamic State, had provoked him to commit the attack on the Oslo gay bar.
The court ultimately found Matapour’s allegations to be unfounded, saying that “it is clear that the actions of the E-Tjenesten did not involve any illegal provocation” and that the agency “did not provoke an act of terrorism that would not otherwise have been committed.”
Espen Evjenth, a victim of the attack who was hit in the forehead with a bullet, told Norwegian news outlet NTB that the guilty verdict for Matapour was “a great relief.”
Four other individuals are suspected of being complicit in the attack, but no formal charges have been brought.
Matapour’s conviction came just days after Oslo’s annual Pride parade, which paid tribute to the memories of those killed or injured in the attack. An estimated 70,000 revelers, a number equivalent to 10% of Oslo’s population, marched in this year’s parade.
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